I was the last journalist to interview Chris Rea and 1 | UK News

As the last journalist to interview Chris Rea, it’s heart-breaking to study he’s died just days later. Chris shunned fame, routinely freely giving his gold discs and never touring America, but remained heat and approachable to his followers. It was typical of his humour that he’d fortunately sing Driving Home For Christmas to fellow motorists caught in festive visitors jams.

Poor health may need robbed him of the pleasure of being onstage for the closing decade of his life, but he told the Daily Express he was decided to keep working, revealing how the new music he was writing was a return to his bluesy roots.

It’s desperately unhappy Chris has been robbed of the alternative to end that music, but I suspect he would have been comfortable he was in a position to create new songs until his closing days.

Instead of capitalising on his early success in the US, Chris was a homebody who focussed his touring in Britain and Europe. His love for his teenage sweetheart turned spouse Joan shone through, joking about how their daughters have been horrified at how affectionate he and the lady he’d met when they have been just 16 have been in the direction of each other.

Chris remained deeply proud of his roots in Middlesbrough. He liked that he impressed fellow Teesider Bob Mortimer into leisure – an honour that appeared to imply more to Chris than any of those showbiz baubles. 

If his modesty meant he wasn’t fussed by the limelight, he was heat and clearly liked by those who knew him. And Chris’s enormous expertise meant so a lot to those who knew his music. Go effectively, Chris.