Chris Rea, the British rocker known for his distinctive voice and slide guitar playing, has died. He was 74.
Rea’s family announced the singer’s death in a post on his official Instagram on Monday morning, Dec. 22.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Chris, who died peacefully earlier today following a short illness,” the post read. “Chris’s music has created the soundtrack to many lives, and his legacy will live on through the songs he leaves behind.”
Born in Middlesbrough, England on March 4, 1951, Rae sold an estimated 40 million records worldwide.
He released more than two dozen studio albums over his 50-year-long career, including 1989’s “The Road to Hell” and 1991’s “Auberge” that both topped the U.K. albums chart. His many hits include “The Road to Hell (Part 2),” ”I Can Hear Your Heartbeat,” “Stainsby Girls,” “Josephine,” “On the Beach,” “Tell Me There’s a Heaven,” “Auberge” and ”Julia.”
Rae was also known for his holiday song “Driving Home for Christmas” as well as “If You Were Me,” a duet he recorded with Elton John. Additionally, the musician play guitar on the 1989 Band Aid II charity single re-recording “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” according to Billboard.
Rae broke into the U.S. music market with his 1978 single “Fool (If You Think It’s Over),” which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, the rock star earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
Rae charted several singles in the U.S. from ‘78 to 1989 including “Diamonds,” “Whatever Happened To Benny Santini?,” “Working On It” and “Let’s Dance.” He continued to release music throughout the 1990s and early 2000s before taking a break in 2001 when he had his pancreas removed along with parts of his stomach and small intestine, Billboard reported. Rae also suffered a stroke in 2016.
After releasing his 24th album “Road Songs For Lovers,” Rae returned to touring in 2017. It was cut short, however, after the musician collapsed on stage during a U.K. show. The rest of his final shows were canceled as a result.
Rae’s 25th and final album “One Fine Day,” was released in 2019. The project contained never-before-released songs he had recorded nearly 30 years.
