Funeral of singer held in Blackpool
Family, friends and fans have turned out for the funeral of singer Linda Nolan.
A memorial for the Dublin-born star started at 10:30 GMT at St Paul’s Church, Blackpool, where she also got married to her husband of two decades Brian Hudson.
Along with her sisters, she was part of the pop group The Nolans, known for their hit I’m in the Mood for Dancing, and died on 15 January aged 65, two decades after she was first diagnosed with cancer.
Entertainers including Shane Richie and Paul Elliott, the comedian better known as Paul Chuckle, are among those attending.
Elliott said of the singer: “She was just a fun, bubbly person. The world’s a darker place without her.”
He said they had performed together in pantomimes and at charity functions, and they last met for lunch in 2024.
“She was just a wonderful person, we always got on well,” he added.
Stars including comedian Tommy Cannon and singer Lisa Maffia also arrived for the service, where a framed photo of Nolan was placed on an easel outside the church.
Mourners have signed a book of condolence outside.
Nolan’s sister Anne posted on social media that Linda would be “thrilled” if her friends and fans came to say their goodbyes.
The Instagram message called Nolan a “beloved sister, friend and entertainer” along with a “symbol of hope, humour and resilience”.
Nolan, who rose to fame in family group The Nolans with sisters Coleen, Maureen, Bernie, Denise and Anne, had long been a campaigner and fundraiser for cancer awareness, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.
She was given the all-clear in 2011, but in 2017 was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer, which later spread.
The singer was admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital with double pneumonia earlier this month, before going into a coma, her manager Dermot McNamara said.
She died “with her loving siblings by her bedside”, he added.
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