DRIVING Home for Christmas singer Chris Rea has died aged 74 following a short illness.
The singer-songwriter has battled a number of health issues since first being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over 40 years ago.
The iconic hit-writer died earlier on Monday in hospital 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.”
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.”
Opening up on his life-saving operation, he explained his internal organs, including his pancreas, gallbladder and part of the liver were “all gone”.
Appearing on the Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Christmas special in 1994, Rea told the hosts he had “never really got over” the diagnosis.
His most famous song Driving Home for Christmas, song has made a reappearance on the UK Singles Chart every year since 2007.
It’s now a chart regular at this time of year, reaching its highest position in 2021 when it made it to number 10.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thebintano.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thebintano and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
