SINGER CHRIS REA, known for hits including Driving Home For Christmas, has died at the age of 74, a spokesperson for his family said.

The singer passed away following a following a short illness.

“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris. He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today,” a statement from his wife and two children said.

Rea, best known for his festive chart-topper, also performed on the Band Aid II single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in December 1989.

Over a career spanning 25 studio albums, Rea blended blues, pop, soul and soft rock, scoring hits including The Road to Hell from the UK number one album of the same name.

Despite its enduring popularity, Rea was initially reluctant to release Driving Home for Christmas, fearing it would damage his credibility.

In later years, he embraced it, joking: “If I’m ever stuck on the M25 now, I’ll wind the window down and start singing it at people in cars alongside. They love it.”

Rea later recalled coming up with Driving Home for Christmas during a miserable, snowbound journey in 1978.

“I’d look across at the other drivers, who all looked so miserable,” he told The Guardian in 2016.

“Jokingly, I started singing: ‘We’re driving home for Christmas…’ and then I started writing down lyrics.”