British singer Chris Rea dies at 74

British singer and songwriter Chris Rea, internationally known for songs like 'On The Beach' and the Christmas hit 'Driving Home For Christmas', has died at the age of 74, his family announced on Monday. The musician, known for his deep voice and distinctive guitar style, rose to fame in the 70s and 80s with hits like 'Fool (If You Think It’s Over)', 'Let’s Dance', and 'The Road to Hell'. His debut album, 'Whatever Happened To Benny Santini?', released in 1978, and the song 'Fool (If You Think It’s Over)' were nominated for a Grammy. This year, he charted again in the festive charts, reaching number 30 last week, and his song was also included in the Christmas advertising campaign of the well-known British department store M&S. Released in 1986, the song 'Driving Home For Christmas' to this day is a Christmas classic, both in the UK and abroad. He discovered his passion for music and the guitar in his youth when he bought his first instrument, a 1961 Hofner V3, and, according to experts, his love of driving and travel influenced many of his songs. Throughout his career, he recorded 25 solo albums, two of which reached number one on the UK charts: 'The Road to Hell' (1989) and 'Auberge' (1991). Born in 1951 in Middlesbrough (northern England) to an Italian father and an Irish mother, Christopher Anton Rea, one of seven siblings, spent his adolescence helping in the family ice cream parlor and even got his driver's license in his father Camillo's ice cream van. Rea died today in a hospital after a 'short illness', surrounded by his family, according to a statement issued on behalf of his wife and two sons by the British news agency Press Association (PA). Rea was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2000 and underwent surgery the following year, while in 2016 he suffered a stroke. 'At that moment, the last thing I needed was to have a Christmas song going round in my head,' he explained on his website. The song, conceived while traveling with his wife in the car, tells 'the story of a tired traveler returning home, a moment of warmth, humor and festive spirit that has retained its charm over the years.' He died peacefully in the hospital surrounded by his family,' his relatives said, remembering him also as a guitarist. However, at first he did not want his record company to release it, as he was trying to make a name for himself with his guitar skills. 'I did everything I could to stop them from releasing that album.' 'Luckily, they did!' he later admitted. 'With immense sadness, we announce the death of our beloved Chris.'