Tributes to ‘fun, bubbly’ Linda Nolan at funeral
Jonny Humphries & Emma Stanley
BBC News, Lancashire
Getty Images/Christopher Furlong
Crowds gathered outside St Paul’s Church, Blackpool, to attend the star’s funeral
Family, friends and fans have turned out for the funeral of singer Linda Nolan.
A memorial for the Dublin-born star was held at St Paul’s Church, Blackpool, where she also married her husband Brian Hudson. The couple were married for 26 years before his death in 2007.
Along with her sisters, she was part of 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.
In a eulogy, her sister Denise Nolan-Anderson said “she would have loved all the fuss today”.
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Linda Nolan’s family said she would have been “thrilled” to see a big turnout
Entertainers including Shane Richie and Paul Elliott, the comedian better known as Paul Chuckle, were among those who attended.
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.
Members of the public applauded as the hearse, carrying a pink glittery coffin, arrived at the church for the service at 10:30 GMT.
Her sisters Anne, Maureen, Coleen and Denise walked with other family members, who wore black but some had pink ribbons pinned to their outfits or carried pink handbags.
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Coleen, Anne, Maureen and Denise attend their sister’s funeral
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Entertainers including Shane Richie were also at the service in Blackpool
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Paul Elliott, the comedian better known as Paul Chuckle, was a friend of the late-star
They lined the path as the coffin, topped with flowers, was carried into the church while The Faith Hill song There You’ll Be was played.
Denise Nolan-Anderson’s eulogy said: “She really loved going to premieres and opening nights, having her beautiful hair and make-up done, and always was the life and soul of any big occasion.”
She said the singer had so many friends “who adored her”.
Describing her sister’s cancer diagnosis, she told the church: “She said the hair loss was the worst thing for her.”
She said the diagnosis, along with losing her husband Brian and sister Bernie, could have “destroyed” a lesser person.
Nolan-Anderson added: “Not Linda, instead she chose to help raise millions for cancer research.”
She said her sister showed “courage in the face of adversity”.
“It’s time to rest now Linda. The battle is over. You are free,” she said.
A recording of Linda singing When It’s Over was played after the eulogy.
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In a eulogy, Nolan’s sister Denise said she would have “loved all the fuss”
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.
Charlotte Dawson, daughter of comedian Les Dawson, Lee Brennan from boyband 911 and Coronation Street actress Jodie Prenger were also among the mourners.
Nolan’s sister Anne had earlier 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”.
Mourners signed a book of condolence outside, with fans who gathered to pay their respects in the cold weather kept warm with cups of tea handed out by a resident.
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The Nolans, Linda, Coleen, Bernie, Maureen and Anne, arrive at the Lyceum Ballroom in London in 1980
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An order of service at St Paul’s Church in Blackpool
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 in January, before going into a coma, her manager Dermot McNamara said.
She died “with her loving siblings by her bedside”, he added.
Nolan appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and her musical theatre career included Blood Brothers, Pump Boys And Dinettes and Prisoner Cell Block H – The Musical, with Paul O’Grady.
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