Reas

CHRIS Rea became the third of his siblings to die in just three months – sending his heartbroken family “into shock”.

Devastated relatives of the Driving Home for Christmas singer revealed he had welcomed his first grandchild shortly before his “tragic” death.

Chris died in hospital following a short illness, a spokesperson for his family said on Monday.

In a statement on behalf of his wife and two children, they said: “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.”

The singer songwriter’s death – just three days before Christmas – becomes the latest heartbreak for his family.

His older sister, Camille Whitaker, revealed two of Chris’ siblings had also sadly passed away just months ago.

She told how her youngest sibling, Nicholas, died in hospital aged 66 in October after battling brain cancer.

Just days after his funeral, Camille’s twin sister Geraldine Milward died suddenly – sending the family into shock.

She told the Daily Mail: “It is an awful pain. It is gut-wrenching what happened. The family has been quite shocked by it.

“It is tragic. We can’t sort of get around it.”

Camille, who says she last spoke to Chris less than a week ago, admitted his family will be “wrecked” by his passing.

The iconic hit writer lived with his wife and family at home in Buckingham and remained “very close” with his family.

Camille also told how Chris was “very pleased” when he became a grandfather for the first time this year.

Prior to his death, the singer-songwriter battled a number of health issues after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over 40 years ago.

Chris reportedly went under the knife for serious ops nine times, spending over half a year in hospital following his cancer diagnosis at the age of 33.

Discussing the shock prognosis with Saga, he told how it had been his “Mount Everest” to climb.

Chris explained: “The original illness hit me hard. I almost had a nervous breakdown with the shock of it. That was the Mount Everest to climb.

“When they said it was pancreatic cancer, I could not believe it. It seemed that if your DNA says you are going to have cancer, then you can.

“They did not think I would recover from the first operation, but I was determined to do so for my wife and the girls.”

Driving Home For Christmas singer Chris Rea was making festive posts on social media hours before he died ‘peacefully in hospital’ at the age of 74 following a short illness

Chris Rea made reference to his famous Christmas song in his final social media post which he shared just hours before his sudden death. A spokesperson for the music legend announced on Monday that he had died following a short illness, at the age of 74.

The musician, who was from Middlesbrough, is arguably best known for his 1988 song, Driving Home For Christmas. And amid the 2025 festive season, he had been sharing social media posts about the countdown to Christmas.

On Sunday, the star uploaded a photo of a car driving through snow along a busy motorway. A Variable Message Sign was also in shot which had the message: “Driving home for Christmas with a thousand memories. Adding a caption of his own, Chris wrote: “Top to toe in tailbacks … If it’s a white Christmas, let’s hope the journey’s a smooth one.”

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The singer added the hashtages #DrivingHomeForChristmas, #ChristmasSongs, #ChristmasMusic and #ChrisRea to the post – as well as a snowflake and a car emoji. Just hours later, family members of the singer were around the star as he died.

A spokesperson confirmed on Monday: “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 had suffered from a number of health conditions in recent years, including peritonitis, pancreatic cancer and diabetes – while it has been reported that he would inject insulin up to seven times per day as he battled his conditions. Following the news of his death, fans have flooded social media with tributes and memories of the star.

One wrote on X: “Genuinely gutted to hear this. A proper Teesside legend. Safe drive home Chris… Damn… he lived for his cars, wonderful guitarist, and made so many great albums. RIP Chris Rea… Aah no! Bad news…”

Another typed: “Chris Rea has died. Shocked. Talented, he was also a really nice guy. I’m freaked because I mentioned him in a pre-Yule newsletter from my website. Chris had loads of friends in Ireland. He’ll be missed. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam…”

Chris had previously discussed his health issues – revealing: “I’ve had nine major operations in ten years. A lot of it is to do with something called retroperitoneal fibrosis, where the internal tissues attack each other. No one knew it existed 20 years ago, and it’s completely unpredictable.. It’s affected the colon, the pancreas, the gall bladder, the liver – and then I get a stroke.”

The singer went on to explain that his health was something that could not be taken for granted, despite the chart and commercial success he enjoyed over the years. He said: “I made a lot of money, but you can dangerously let it lead you on…

“It depends what company you keep. I once said to Michael Winner, ‘I’m the poorest man on this Barbados beach.’ On days like today, the richest man in the world is the one who hasn’t got a bad shoulder.”

Chris is survived by his wife Joan Lesley, who he was together with since they were teenagers, and their two daughters; Josephine, born 16 September 1983, and Julia Christina, born 18 March 1989. As well as Driving Home For Christmas, he penned tracks including On the Beach, Let’s Dance, and The Road To Hell.

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