Chris Rea, whose songs embrace the festive hit Driving House For Christmas, died on the age of 74, a number of years after having his pancreas eliminated amid a most cancers battle
Chris Rea turned the third of his siblings to die inside simply three months, it has emerged.
The singer’s household expressed their “terrible ache” on the third latest tragedy following the star’s loss of life this week. Chris’ older sister Camille Whitaker, 79, stated the youngest of her six siblings, Nicholas, handed away in a Yorkshire hospital in October from mind most cancers on the age of 66. Then, simply days after his funeral, Camille’s twin sister Geraldine Milward died out of the blue.
And Chris, who was from Middlesbrough, Teesside, handed away this week, after the latest start of a primary grandchild. Talking final evening, Camille stated: “It’s an terrible ache. It’s gut-wrenching what occurred. The household has been fairly shocked by it. It’s tragic. We will not form of get round it.”
Chris, whose songs embrace the festive favorite Driving House For Christmas, was identified with pancreatic most cancers and had his pancreas eliminated in 2001, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke.
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Chris, one among seven siblings, was in a position to expertise the joyous information of the start of a grandson lately. The musician, who wrote Driving House For Christmas after travelling from London to Middlesbrough for the festive interval in 1978, remained near his household all through his life, it’s stated.
Speaking to the Each day Mail, Camille continued: “He lived together with his spouse and kids in Buckinghamshire. He at all times saved very near his household. He has two daughters and he lately turned a grandfather, to a boy, he was very, very happy. That was fantastic. His eldest, Josephine, impressed one among his songs.
“And Julia, his second daughter, she is the girl who bought married and had a child. Christopher had horrible, horrible well being and has been unwell for someday earlier than he died.”
Certainly, the dad was identified with pancreatic most cancers and had his pancreas eliminated in 2001, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke. These well being battles got here after Chris discovered fame within the late Seventies and Nineteen Eighties with hits reminiscent of Idiot (If You Suppose It is Over), Let’s Dance and The Street To Hell. Driving House For Christmas was launched in 1988, some 10 years after Chris got here up with the concept, however solely reached quantity 53 within the charts initially, overwhelmed by far to primary by Mistletoe and Wine by Cliff Richard.
However, it has had a resurgence within the many years since and, partially because of the streaming providers, has reappeared within the UK Singles Chart yearly since 2007.
Camille final spoke to her brother on the telephone six days earlier than he died. Describing the singer as “a really shy and quiet man,” Camille stated they and the remainder of their siblings had a humble upbringing in Middlesbrough.
Their dad, who was Italian and moved to the UK, labored at an ice cream manufacturing unit and café chain within the city. Chris needed to turn out to be a journalist however discovered his calling in music and, by the late Seventies, launched tunes professionally.
Driving House for Christmas was rapidly adopted by The Street to Hell, additionally impressed by Chris’ frustrations of site visitors on motorways in rush hour. It was praised for “for being irredeemably miserable”.
