Linda Nolan’s family and friends have arrived to pay their respects at a funeral service celebrating her ‘remarkable life’.
The Dublin-born singer and member of The Nolan Sisters died on January 15 at the age of 65 in Blackpool.
She was surrounded by her sisters; Anne, 74, Denise, 72, Maureen, 69, and Coleen, 59, who have shared devastating tributes since her death.
Her funeral is taking place today, with members of the public invited to gather at the church for the service at 10.30am on Saturday at St Paul’s Church in Blackpool, Lancashire.
People applauded as the hearse carrying a pink glittery coffin arrived at the church for the funeral, while her sisters Anne, Maureen, Coleen and Denise walked towards the church with other family members.
Loose Women panellist Coleen wiped a tear from her eye.
The family wore black but some had pink ribbons pinned to their outfits or carried pink handbags.
They lined the path as the coffin, topped with a floral arrangement, was carried into the church.
Mourners at the funeral were told Linda would have ‘loved all the fuss’, with sister Denise saying in the eulogy: ‘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 would have loved all the fuss today.’
She went on to say that Linda had so many friends ‘who adored her’, and spoke about her health struggles.
Describing her sister’s cancer diagnosis, Denise told the church: ‘She said the hair loss was the worst thing for her.’
She said the diagnosis, along with losing her husband Brian [Hudson] and sister Bernie, could have ‘destroyed’ a lesser person.
She added: ‘Not Linda, instead she chose to help raise millions for cancer research.’
She said her sister showed ‘courage in the face of adversity’.
She said: ‘It’s time to rest now Linda. The battle is over. You are free.’
A recording of Linda singing When It’s Over was played after the eulogy.
The Faith Hill song There You’ll Be was played as the singer’s coffin was taken into the church, which was packed with mourners, including people standing at the back.
Charlotte Dawson, daughter of comedian Les Dawson, Lee Brennan from boyband 911 and Coronation Street actress Jodie Prenger were also among the mourners.
The hymn I Watch The Sunrise was sung by the congregation before Linda’s coffin was carried from St Paul’s as To Where You Are by Josh Groban was played.
Members of the public lining the street outside applauded.
Coleen wiped tears from her face with a tissue as she left the service.
Linda married her husband of more than two decades Brian in the church, and said goodbye to him there after he died in 2007, according to her family.
Among the mourners gathering, EastEnders actor Shane Ritchie, who was previously married to Coleen, was one of the first to arrive.
Paul Elliott, the comedian better known as Paul Chuckle, paid tribute to Linda as he arrived at her funeral in Blackpool.
He 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.
Elliott added: ‘She was just a wonderful person, we always got on well.’
Stars including comedian Tommy Cannon and singer Lisa Maffia also arrived for the funeral service where a framed photo of Linda was placed on an easel outside the church, with mourners signing a book of condolence.
Paying tribute outside the church, So Solid Crew star Maffia told The Mirror: ‘I did the full Monty with Coleen and we connected through that. She was one of those angels who always gave me prompts to be happy and smile. She was just a very positive person.
‘My mum is a cancer survivor, and without a positive attitude cancer can take over. Linda faced it for so long and what got her through it was loving the life she was given. We should all take a leaf out of her book.’
Ahead of her funeral, Coleen revealed her ‘blingy’ sister had left certain requests for her family, saying they will all be wearing black, as per her late sister’s instructions but won’t be donning any ‘little lace veils’.
‘She wanted everyone in black, wearing mantillas, those little lace veils that cover your face,’ Coleen told The Mirror.
‘I remember saying, “You are joking, Linda! If I see all my sisters in mantillas, I’m going to laugh the whole way through the funeral!”‘
Though they decided against that, Linda’s sisters said they’d be indulging in her ‘pure showbiz’ dreams with a glitzy coffin, ‘bright pink and sparkly, just as she wanted’.
Linda had actually picked out a coffin in April 2023, after the cancer spread to her brain in what she called ‘a one-way trip’.
She had actually begun thinking about her funeral plans as early as 2007 after her husband Hudson organised his own funeral.
Her sister Anne posted on Instagram, saying ‘we lay our wonderful sister Linda to rest’ this weekend.
‘There’s been a bit of confusion regarding the church service and the crematorium. Just to clarify everyone is welcome to both services,’ she added.
‘There may not be seating available as both places are small and obviously we are a big family so most of the seating will be taken by us but if you don’t mind standing we would love you to be there and we know Linda would be thrilled.’
‘Everyone who knew Linda, or whose lives she touched, are welcome to come and pay their respects as we remember her remarkable life,’ The Nolans’ official page on Instagram said.
The message also described Linda as a ‘beloved sister, friend and entertainer’ and a ‘symbol of hope, humour and resilience’.
The family are raising money for Trinity Hospice, which Linda supported, and have asked that donations and messages of condolence should be sent to a memorial page in her memory.
More than £2,450 has been raised on the Much Loved site so far.
Linda, who rose to fame in family group The Nolans with her sisters Coleen, Maureen, Bernie, Denise and Anne, had long been a campaigner and fundraiser for cancer awareness.
She had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and was given the all-clear in 2011, but in 2017 was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. In 2020 it spread and by 2023 was in her brain.
The singer was admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital with double pneumonia last month, and went into a coma, according to her manager Dermot McNamara.
He said she died ‘with her loving siblings by her bedside’.
The beloved star was also known for Celebrity Big Brother, a Daily Mirror column, and musical theatre appearances in shows such as Blood Brothers, Pump Boys And Dinettes and Prisoner Cell Block H.
Outside her TV and musical career, Linda helped to raise more than £20 million for numerous charities, including Breast Cancer Now, Irish Cancer Society and Samaritans.
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