The music world is saying goodbye to Chris Rea, who passed away on December 22, 2025, at the age of 74. For more than five decades, Rea turned ordinary moments into songs that felt lived-in, human, and quietly profound. His voice sounded like it had already traveled a few thousand miles, and his songs reminded listeners that the road itself often matters more than the destination.
Here are 25 things you need to know about him, the artist who made driving, longing, and reflection feel timeless.
- Chris Rea was born in Middlesbrough, England, in 1951 to an Italian father and Irish mother.
- His family owned Camillo’s Ice Cream, a well-known local business that shaped his working-class upbringing.
- Before music, Rea seriously considered becoming a journalist.
- He did not start playing guitar until his early 20s.
- His first guitar was a 1961 Hofner V3, bought second-hand.
- Rea became known for his distinctive slide guitar style, inspired by Delta blues players.
- His breakthrough song in the U.S. was “Fool (If You Think It’s Over),” which reached #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
- That same song earned him a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
- He released 25 studio albums over his career.
- Two of those albums, ‘The Road to Hell’ and ‘Auberge’, reached #1 on the U.K. Albums Chart.
- Rea sold more than 30 million records worldwide.
- “Driving Home for Christmas” was written during a low point in his career while riding in a car stuck in holiday traffic.
- The song became a perennial holiday classic years after its original release.
- Many of Rea’s songs revolve around cars, roads, and travel as metaphors for life.
- He was an avid car enthusiast and historic motor racer.
- Rea raced vintage cars including Ferraris, Lotuses, and a Morris Minor police car.
- He even worked as a pit mechanic for the Jordan Formula One team in 1995.
- Rea wrote and starred in the 1996 film ‘La Passione’, combining his love of music and motor racing.
- Health challenges deeply shaped his life and music, including pancreatic cancer and major surgery in 2000.
- After his illness, he shifted away from pop toward blues-based music.
- He founded his own label, Jazzee Blue, to release music on his own terms.
- Rea created the ambitious ‘Blue Guitars’ project, an 11-CD exploration of blues history.
- He suffered a stroke in 2016 but returned to recording and touring afterward.
- Rea remained married to his wife Joan, whom he met as a teenager, for more than 50 years.
- His daughters, Josephine and Julia, both inspired songs bearing their names.