BBC's moving tribute to Chris Rea leaves fans in tears after his death at 74
Music fans were reduced to tears on Tuesday as the BBC paid tribute to late singer Chris Rea. The British singer passed away on Monday at the age of 74 following a brief illness.
The musician was responsible for one of the most iconic Christmas songs of the modern age, releasing Driving Home For Christmas in 1988. The track enjoyed a peak chart position of number 10 and was certified triple platinum, selling over 1.8 million copies in the UK alone since it's original release.
On Tuesday, an episode of Animal Park with Ben Fogle and Kate Humble aired on BBC One - with the opening scene soundtracked by Chris's modern classic. The episode had been pre-recorded ahead of the singer's death, and his life was highlighted in the moment before the latest episode was screened across the country.
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When the BBC holding image was presented ahead of the episode, the continuity announcer, Duncan Newmarch, declared: "First on BBC One, Chris Rea, is very much on our minds this morning." And following his announcement, he took to social media to explain why he wanted to point out the music of the late singer.
He wrote on X: "When I discovered that this morning's edition of Animal Park on started with Driving Home for Christmas, I wanted to say something." His comments deeply moved viewers and social media users who responded to him. One replied on X to write: "Oh that made me cry. Very touching."
Another typed: "Very suitable and appropriate." While a further fan wrote: "That’s such a clever, beautiful 11 seconds. Bravo". And another commented: "What a wonderful tribute." At the beginning of the week, fans were shocked and saddened to learn of Chris's death.
His family broke the news, explaining in a statement: "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."
Hours earlier, the star himself had taken to social media to mark the festive season with a comment about his hit Christmas single. He uploaded a photo of a car driving through snow along a busy motorway. A Variable Message Sign was also in shot which had the message: "Driving home for Christmas with a thousand memories. Adding a caption of his own, Chris wrote: "Top to toe in tailbacks ... If it’s a white Christmas, let’s hope the journey’s a smooth one."
And he added the hashtages #DrivingHomeForChristmas, #ChristmasSongs, #ChristmasMusic and #ChrisRea to the post - as well as a snowflake and a car emoj. Chris had suffered from a number of health conditions in recent years, including peritonitis, pancreatic cancer and diabetes - while it has been reported that he would inject insulin up to seven times per day as he battled his conditions.
Following the news of his death, fans flooded social media with tributes. One wrote on X: "Genuinely gutted to hear this. A proper Teesside legend. Safe drive home Chris... Damn… he lived for his cars, wonderful guitarist, and made so many great albums. RIP Chris Rea... Aah no! Bad news..."
Another typed: "Chris Rea has died. Shocked. Talented, he was also a really nice guy. I’m freaked because I mentioned him in a pre-Yule newsletter from my website. Chris had loads of friends in Ireland. He’ll be missed. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam..."
Chris had previously discussed his health issues - revealing: "I’ve had nine major operations in ten years. A lot of it is to do with something called retroperitoneal fibrosis, where the internal tissues attack each other. No one knew it existed 20 years ago, and it’s completely unpredictable.. It’s affected the colon, the pancreas, the gall bladder, the liver – and then I get a stroke."
The singer went on to explain that his health was something that could not be taken for granted, despite the chart and commercial success he enjoyed over the years. He said: "I made a lot of money, but you can dangerously let it lead you on...
"It depends what company you keep. I once said to Michael Winner, 'I’m the poorest man on this Barbados beach.' On days like today, the richest man in the world is the one who hasn’t got a bad shoulder."
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