Singer Chris Rea has died at the age of 74. The Middlesbrough-born musician was behind the festive classic, ‘Driving Home for Christmas’. A statement, provided on behalf of Rea's wife and two children, said: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris”. "He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family." #death #chrisrea #skynews SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skynews Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skynews For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps: Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8 Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB Sky News Daily podcast is available for free here: https://podfollow.com/skynewsdaily/ To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/library-sales