Chris Rea, the British singer-songwriter celebrated for the enduring holiday classic “Driving Home for Christmas,” has died at the age of 74.

Rea passed away in a hospital after a brief illness, his family confirmed on Monday in a statement to Britain’s Press Association, according to the Associated Press.

Born Christopher Anton Rea on March 4, 1951, in Middlesbrough, England, he was the son of an Italian father and an Irish mother. After leaving school, he worked a series of different jobs and also helped out at his family’s ice cream business.

He grew up immersed in music, discovering the guitar in his late teens and quickly developing a distinctive, slide-guitar style.

Rea rose to prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s, building a loyal following with soulful, reflective songs that blended rock, blues, and soft pop. His breakthrough came with albums such as Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (1978), Water Sign (1983), and The Road to Hell (1989), the latter becoming his most commercially successful release. The title track remains one of his signature songs.

Over the course of his career, Rea released more than 20 studio albums and sold tens of millions of records worldwide, particularly in the UK and Europe. His music often explored themes of travel, longing, love, and personal reflection, earning him a reputation as a thoughtful storyteller as much as a skilled musician.

“Driving Home for Christmas,” written in the 1970s and released in 1986, grew steadily in popularity over the decades and became one of the most enduring Christmas songs in British music history, returning to the charts year after year.

Despite his success, Rea maintained a relatively private life. He faced serious health challenges later in life, including pancreatic cancer and multiple surgeries, which influenced both his music and his decision to scale back touring. In his later years, he focused on blues projects, instrumental work, and painting, another lifelong passion.