The singer-songwriter Chris Rea, known for hits including Driving Home for Christmas, has died at the age of 74, a spokesperson for his family has said.
The statement issued on behalf of his wife and the couple's two daughters read: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris. He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family."
Chris Rea travelled roads from chart hits to the blues
The Middlesbrough-born musician was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001.
In 2016, he suffered a stroke.
Born to an Irish mother and Italian father in 1951, Rea took various labouring jobs after leaving school and helped out in his family's ice cream business.
He found fame in the late Seventies and Eighties with hits such as Fool (If You Think It's Over), Let's Dance, and The Road to Hell.
Rea's debut album, titled Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?, a reference to the stage name his record label wanted him to adopt, was released in 1978.
The track Fool (If You Think It's Over) went on to be nominated for a Grammy, and he developed a large fanbase in Ireland.
By the time his eighth album, On the Beach, spawning a hit single of the same name, was released, Rea was a star in the UK and around Europe, with sporadic hits in the US.
When Road to Hell was released in 1989, he became one of the biggest solo stars in the UK.
His most famous song, Driving Home for Christmas, was first released in 1986.
Speaking about Driving Home for Christmas on the Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Christmas Special on BBC Two in 2020, Rea told comedian Bob Mortimer: "I was on the dole when I wrote that.
"My manager had just left me. I'd just been banned from driving, right? My now-wife, Joan, she had to drive down to London, picked (sic) me up in the Mini, and take me home, and that's when I wrote it."
The track also features in a Christmas-themed album Rea released in October that contains songs including Footsteps in the Snow and Joys of Christmas.
Rea was good friends with comedian Mortimer, and in 1997 they recorded a new version of Let's Dance for Middlesbrough Football Club's FA Cup Final appearance.
Paying tribute, Middlesbrough Football Club said on Instagram: "We're deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Chris Rea. A Teesside icon. Rest in peace, Chris."
Rea is survived by his wife, Joan, and their two daughters, Josephine and Julia. He and Joan had been together since they first met at the age of 16.
Source: Press Association
