Chris Rea was a genuinely great British singer, songwriter and guitarist, and a really lovely man to boot. If you’re driving home for Christmas, or stuck in traffic on the way to see your family, there’s a good chance you might be humming a Chris Rea song.

Chris Rea, the rock singer who was best known for hits including “Driving Home For Christmas” and “Fool (If You Think It’s Over),” has died following a short illness. He was 74.

Singer and guitarist Chris Rea never forgot his Teesside routes, according to those who knew and met him. The 74-year-old, who died on Monday, was born in Middlesbrough in 1951 to an Italian father and Irish mother, with his family known for selling ice creams around the town.