CHRIS Rea’s final TV appearance has resurfaced after the Driving Home for Christmas singer died, aged 74.
The legendary British singer-songwriter penned the festive favourite in 1978.
Chris Rea’s last TV appearance was on Mortimer and Whitehouse Gone Fishing in 2020.
He guest starred on the show for a special Christmas episode where he talked about his battle with serious health issues over the years.
The hour-long special saw Bob Mortimer return to his childhood roots in Middlesbrough where Chris was born in 1951.
Chris passed away in hospital just three days before Christmas, following a short illness, a spokesperson for his family said.
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 musician was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke.
Over the course of his career, Chris sold 40 million records, earned a Best New Artist Grammy nod – despite never touring the States – two number one UK albums and three Brit Award nominations.
His famous song Driving Home For Christmas was first released in 1986 and features in this year’s M&S Food Christmas advert.
The song has grown to become a festive favourite, but it failed to crack the top 40 when it was released a decade later, peaking at number 53 in 1988.
It’s now a chart regular at this time of year, reaching its highest position in 2021 when it made it to number 10 and has appeared on the UK Singles Chart every year since 2007.
Chris previously revealed that he was banned from driving and on the dole when he wrote the classic Christmas single.
The legend 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.
He did not find such success again for a few years but by the time his eighth album On The Beach, spawning a hit single of the same name, was released, he 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, and cemented himself as a favourite among a predominantly male audience of a certain age.
Two of his studio albums – The Road To Hell (1989) and Auberge (1991) – went to number one in the UK.
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