Fans of the BBC on Tuesday were weeping as a heartfelt tribute was paid to the late Driving Home For Christmas singer Chris Rea, who passed away on Monday at the age of 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.
Driving Home For Christmas, which was released in 1988, was one of the most well-known Christmas songs of the modern era. The song reached its highest position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 10 and was triple platinum, selling over 1.8 million copies in the UK alone since its initial release.
An episode of Animal Park starring Ben Fogle and Kate Humble, with Chris’s modern classic soundtrack, aired on BBC One on Tuesday. Before the singer’s passing, the episode had been recorded in advance, and the singer’s life was highlighted as the country’s most recent episode was shown nationwide.
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The continuity announcer, Duncan Newmarch, declared: “First on BBC One, Chris Rea, is very much on our minds this morning. And he posted a statement on social media explaining why he wanted to mention the late singer’s music.
He wrote on X: “When I found out that the Animal Park edition for this morning started with Driving Home for Christmas, I wanted to say something.” His comments deeply moved viewers and those who responded on social media. On X, one wrote, “Oh, that made me cry.” Very moving
Another phrase was “Very appropriate and appropriate.” While another fan praised the clever, beautiful 11 seconds they gave. Bravo”. Another person praised the tribute as “wonderful.” Fans learned of Chris’s death at the beginning of the week with shock and sadness.
His family confirmed the news, saying in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Chris. He had a brief illness and was surrounded by his family, who later passed away peacefully in a hospital earlier today.
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.”
Additionally, he added a snowflake and a car emoj to the post along with the hashtags #DrivingHomeForChristmas, #ChristmasSongs, #ChristmasMusic, and #ChrisRea. In recent years, Chris had battled a number of health conditions, including diabetes, pancreas, and peritonitis, but it has been reported that he would inject insulin up to seven times per day as a result.
Fans flooded social media with tributes after learning of his passing. On X, someone wrote, “Truly gutted to hear this. A true Teesside legend. Chris, he lived for his cars, had a wonderful guitarist, and produced so many great albums. Chris Rea, RIP, no! Bad news… “
Chris Rea has passed away, another typed. shocked . He was also a very nice guy, which was talented. I mentioned him in a pre-Yule newsletter on my website, and I’m freaked out. In Ireland, Chris made many friends. He will be missed. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam…
In a previous conversation, Chris had mentioned his health issues, which Chris revealed was “I’ve had nine major operations in ten years.” The internal tissues of the body are frequently associated with retroperitoneal fibrosis, which is a form of internal fibrosis. It’s completely unpredictable, and no one knew about it 20 years ago. I have a stroke, and it has affected my colon, pancreas, gall bladder, liver, and other organs.
Despite his chart and commercial success, the singer continued, saying that his health was something that couldn’t be taken for granted. He said, “You can dangerously let it lead you on, but I made a lot of money.”
“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.”
Source: Mirror
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