He explained why he made the decision after a cancer patient received news from the hospital.
Singing legend Chris Rea gifted his beloved wife Joan an incredible present when he was diagnosed with cancer. The Driving Home For Cirhristmas star died in hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.
On the singer’s last TV appearance on the Christmas special of the BBC’s Mortimer and Whitehouse Gone Fishing, he explained: “I was in hospital and the pancreatic cancer nurse comes in and tells me ‘it’s not grade three cancer phone your wife!’ So I phone my wife and she pulled the car over and burst into tears.”
The Middlesbrough-born singer continued, “I gave her all the rights to all the songs. He laughed, “And now she won’t give them back,” he said. “
The rights to Driving Home For Christmas are enormously valuable. The song, which was written and composed by Rea, was released in 1986 and has become a huge festive favourite, appearing in the UK Singles Chart every year for nearly two decades.
Rea’s annual royalties for for the song are thought to total £200,000, with around £7million banked from it since its release. In 2021 it reached No10 on the singles chart and it is often named among the UK’s favourite Christmas songs. Cover versions have been recorded by many artists, among them Stacey Solomon and Engelbert Humperdinck.
It is believed that Joan contributed to the creation of Driving Home for Christmas. After a recording session in December 1978, inspiration for the song hit him as he was being driven back north by his childhood sweetheart.
According to the legend, Chris was both driving and receiving benefits at the time. With only £220 left over, Joan and Chris made the decision to drive for six hours to Middlesbrough, arriving home at 3 a.m.
A US performing rights organization had written a letter to the doormat when they opened the door, stating that his song Fool (If You Think It’s Over) had charted in the US and that he had received a cheque for £15,000.
Rea’s family announced his passing today, saying: “Our beloved Chris passed away with a great sadness. He was surrounded by his family and passed away peacefully in a hospital earlier today after a brief illness. “
Tributes have been paid across the music world and from his fanbase. The mayor of his hometown Chris Cooke said: “This is really sad news and my thoughts go out to Chris’ loved ones.
Source: Mirror
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