Dying Before Collecting Christmas Royalties

[Angela Channing]

Chris Rea has died, which is sad but I couldn't help thinking of the coincidence of him dying so close to Christmas. He is probably best know for the Christmas hit Driving Home For Christmas which probably makes around £500,000 at this time of year from royalties, which I guess will now go to his estate.

This made me think of 6 other singers with well known and popular Christmas records died close to Christmas Day:

John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War is Over) - died 8th December 1980
Dean Martin - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - died 25 December 1995
Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York - died 18th December 2000
Bobby Farrell of Boney M - Mary's Boy Child/O My Lord - died 30th December 2010
Greg Lake - I Believe In Father Christmas - died 7th December 2016
Shane MacGowan - Fairytale of New York - died 30th November 2023

A spooky coincidence.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I couldn't help thinking of the coincidence of him dying so close to Christmas.

This is an interesting topic. I hadn't consciously registered how many people with popular Christmas songs had died around this time. In addition to the ones you mentioned, there's also George Michael (the Christmas #2 this year) who died on Christmas Day.

Funnily enough. the first - admittedly ghoulish - thing that crossed my mind upon reading about Chris Rea was that if it had been a matter of days earlier, chances are he would have the Christmas #1 since there is usually a renewed interest in the artist's material at these times.

 

[Angela Channing]

This is an interesting topic. I hadn't consciously registered how many people with popular Christmas songs had died around this time. In addition to the ones you mentioned, there's also George Michael (the Christmas #2 this year) who died on Christmas Day.

Funnily enough. the first - admittedly ghoulish - thing that crossed my mind upon reading about Chris Rea was that if it had been a matter of days earlier, chances are he would have the Christmas #1 since there is usually a renewed interest in the artist's material at these times.

How could I have forgotten George Michael?

I just did a quick Google search, there is another one:

Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby - died 25th December 2008

David Bowie died in early January and he sang on my favourite Christmas song (Peace On Rarth/Little Drummer Boy) but that's stretching my point just a bit too far.

Popular Christmas songs are played regularly every year in the lead up to the big day and can generate enough money for someone to live a reasonably comfortable life on. You're right that dying often boosts sales of an artist's music so that's even more royalties to miss out on.