The family of legendary singer Chris Rea are enduring an unimaginable period of grief, having lost three siblings within a devastating three-month period.
A Triple Tragedy for the Rea Family
Chris Rea, the beloved musician behind the festive classic Driving Home For Christmas, has become the third sibling to pass away since October. His sister, Camille Whitaker, 79, has spoken publicly about the family's 'awful pain' following this rapid succession of losses.
Camille revealed that the youngest of the seven siblings, Nicholas, aged 66, died from brain cancer in a Yorkshire hospital in October. The family's sorrow was compounded almost immediately when, just days after Nicholas's funeral, Camille's twin sister, Geraldine Milward, died suddenly.
The most recent blow came with the death of Chris Rea himself this week. The singer, who was from Middlesbrough, Teesside, passed away shortly after experiencing the joy of becoming a grandfather for the first time.
A Life of Music and Close Family Ties
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Camille Whitaker described the profound shock. "It is an awful pain. It is gut-wrenching what happened. The family has been quite shocked by it. It is tragic. We can't sort of get around it," she said.
She emphasised that Chris, who lived in Buckinghamshire with his wife and two daughters, always remained very close to his family. He was reportedly delighted by the recent birth of his grandson, a boy born to his daughter Julia.
Chris Rea's health had been a long-standing battle. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2001 and underwent surgery to remove the organ. He then suffered a serious stroke in 2016. Despite these challenges, he maintained his private, family-focused life.
The Enduring Legacy of a Festive Anthem
Chris Rea rose to fame in the late 1970s and 1980s with hits like Fool (If You Think It's Over) and The Road to Hell. However, it is Driving Home For Christmas, penned in 1978 after a journey from London to Middlesbrough, that secured his place as a seasonal staple.
Interestingly, the song initially only reached number 53 in the charts in 1988, being kept from the top spot by Cliff Richard's Mistletoe and Wine. Its popularity has soared in the streaming era, and it has re-entered the UK Singles Chart every year since 2007.
Camille shared that her final conversation with her brother was just six days before he died. She remembered him as "a very shy and quiet man" from a modest background. Their father, an Italian immigrant, worked in an ice cream factory and café. Chris had initially considered journalism before finding his true calling in music.
The family now faces the difficult task of coming to terms with a loss that is not singular, but part of a heartbreaking trilogy of bereavement in an impossibly short time.
