'On The Beach' hitmaker Chris Rea has died aged 74

Chris Rea, the British singer-songwriter responsible for hits such as 'On The Beach' and 'Josephine', has died aged 74. 

The musician's family confirmed his death on Monday (December 22), writing in a statement: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris."

"He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family," the statement adds. He leaves behind his wife, Joan, and two daughters, Josephine and Julia.

Born in Middlesbrough in 1951, Rea began his career in music after purchasing his first guitar in his 20s, joining the local band Magdalene, which had formerly included Deep Purple's David Coverdale as a member.

After working with a string of other bands in the North East, Rea went on to release his debut solo album 'Whatever Happened To Benny Santini?' in 1978, which earned him his first US Top 20 chart appearance with the single 'Fool (If You Think It's Over)', alongside a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist. 

In 1985, Rea released his seventh studio album 'Shamrock Diaries', which included a remixed version of his hit single 'Josephine'. A classic in the Balearic beat movement of the late '80s, 'Josephine (La Version Française)' later went on to be sampled by Marseilles electronic outfit Superfunk on their Ron Caroll-featuring 2000 breakout single 'Lucky Star'. 

Alongside chart success in both the US and UK, Rea's 1989 single 'On The Beach' also became influential within dance music, inspired by the Balearic island of Formentera. The track was originally sampled by German trance outfit York on their UK Top 4 hit 'O.T.B. (On the Beach)', and later remixed by Todd Terje on 'On The Beach (Todd Terje Edit)'. 

Rea released 25 albums across his decades-long career, selling over 30 million records and scoring two UK Top 10 albums; his most enduring hit, 'Driving Home For Christmas', has entered the UK singles chart every December since 2007, selling 1,800,000 copies to date. 

Friend and fellow Middlesbrough native Bob Mortimer paid tribute to Rea via Twitter yesterday (December 22), writing: "So so sad. A lovely brilliant funny giant of a bloke. Oh Man... RIP Chris.. Boro legend forever. Love to family and friends." 

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter