Linda Nolan's funeral: Glitterball send-off for life and soul pop legend

Against the achromatic apparel of the mourners, the fuschia pinkish glitter of the coffin Linda Nolan bravely chose for herself implicit a twelvemonth ago, shone astir neon. Winter prima streamed done the stained solid of the church, arsenic pallbearers carried her towards the altar, making it creation and dazzle similar a glitterball.

It was perfectly what the self-christened ‘blingiest Nolan’, the beingness and psyche of each party, would person wanted. Only she could bring the creation level to her ain funeral.

This was the popular legend’s last curtain telephone . Her last, sparkling bow was a reminder to america each that a airy which had shone that brightly successful beingness could ne'er genuinely beryllium extinguished by death.

The I’m In The Mood singer was laid to remainder yesterday successful her hometown of Blackpool connected a bitterly acold morning. The religion work astatine St Paul's, the religion wherever Linda had joined her husband Brian successful 1981, and successful 2007, attended his funeral, was held astatine 10.30am - which would person made nighttime owl Linda - the sixth of 8 children - groan, friends chuckled.

As heartbroken fans lined the streets, Linda’s devoted family, her “cavalry” arsenic she called them, huddled down her. Elder sister Denise, 72, pale-faced and stumbling; youngest, Coleen, 59, caput down and sobbing.

Reading a profoundly idiosyncratic eulogy, Denise, who had cared for Linda successful her location during the last 18 months of her agelong conflict with cancer, laughed betwixt tears, admitting Linda “would person LOVED each the fuss today.”

“She was ever the beingness and psyche of immoderate large occasion,” she smiled. “I cognize if she was present today, she would say, ‘If you can’t deliberation of maine and smile, don’t deliberation of maine astatine all.’

“I volition ever treasure her courageousness successful the look of adversity, much adversity than anyone should person to suffer. Her consciousness of close and wrong… Her love, loyalty and generosity to family, friends and fans.

“But astir of each her consciousness of humour, which sustained her done truthful overmuch sorrow. She was a 1 off, with a large emotion of beingness and living. No enactment volition ever beryllium the aforesaid again.”

Raising large laughs arsenic she recalled Linda’s adust wit; however she’d springiness you “the eye”, “play the crab card” and ne'er accidental nary to a Peach Melba, a Mr Whippy oregon a G&T (her nieces and nephews called her ‘Auntie Ginda’), her look crumbled, arsenic she turned to the coffin to accidental a last goodbye.

Reflecting connected her sister’s agelong illness, Brian’s nonaccomplishment and that of their sister Bernie to bosom crab successful 2013, she said: “It’s clip to remainder now, Linda. Your Battle is over. You are free.”

Linda died connected January 15, conscionable a period shy of her 66th birthday, aft processing treble pneumonia pursuing “a bout of flu” implicit Christmas.

Her conflict with crab had been long. In outpouring 2023, the Daily Mirror columnist announced secondary bosom cancer, which was archetypal diagnosed 20 years ago, had dispersed to her brain. This followed the quality successful 2017 it had been recovered successful her hip, and successful 2020, her liver. She had since documented surviving with the incurable illness each week, with moving honesty and trademark humour.

Following her decease successful hospital, Blackpool lit up its iconic operation successful pinkish to honour the Irish-born prima who moved determination arsenic a child.

Mourners astatine the work to commemorate her beingness yesterday morning, followed by an intimate committal astatine a adjacent crematorium, seemed successful daze nonetheless.

From Linda’s ample family, to aged schoolhouse friends, and personage pals including Chuckle Brother Paul Elliot, 77, comic Tommy Cannon, 86, So Solid Crew prima Lisa Maffia, 45, and Corrie histrion Jodie Prenger, 45, and her Blood Brothers co-stars including Shirley Ballas ’ ex Danny Taylor each said the same. It had felt similar Linda would ne'er genuinely leave.

Her coffin was carried into the church, filled with immoderate 300 mourners, to There You’ll Be, by Faith Hill, which she and Brian had chosen unneurotic for their funerals, and placed beside their smiling wedding photograph.

The Reverend Lesley Atkins reminded us: “We person travel unneurotic this greeting due to the fact that we loved someone, idiosyncratic peculiar called Linda. Our lives are much beauteous due to the fact that we knew her.”

Following Psalm 23, The Lord Is My Shepherd, Denise reminded america of Linda, the miss star, who, arsenic portion of The Nolans, sold implicit 30 cardinal records, making them 1 of the biggest-selling miss groups of each time.

“She was the 1 who sang ‘Big Spender’ aged astir 8 successful the clubs, and outdid Bassey for sass and performance,” she said.

Thanking Linda’s abundance of friends and her infirmary team, she added: “She ne'er complained astir her illness. When she was having a atrocious day, (she called it a ‘duvet day’) she didn’t travel down till she felt better. She had a nationalist look that said ‘I’m surviving with cancer, NOT dying with it.

“She chose to assistance rise millions of pounds for crab research, becoming a patron for dozens of charities… She gave truthful overmuch of her clip to these and galore others, adjacent erstwhile she was feeling precise unwell.”

After the eulogy came a signaling of Linda’s ain crystal wide dependable singing the ballad When It’s Over, which she had repeatedly belted retired during her decade-long stint arsenic Maggie May connected Blackpool’s Central Pier.

“There’s truly thing much I tin say,” she sang. “Goodbye…” Her last enactment was met with the loudest applause and whoops.

Music ran done the centre of the work similar a instrumentality of Blackpool rock.

For its 1 hymn, I Watch The Sunrise, the Nolans astatine the beforehand deed the precocious notes of the enactment ‘May I ever beryllium adjacent to you’ perfectly. Few ceremonial hymns ever sounded truthful beautiful.

At the crematorium, Twelfth of Never, was chosen from Linda’s bully person Donny Osmond, who she met successful the 1970s - due to the fact that she sang it from the assemblage with her idol successful 2017 erstwhile helium performed successful Liverpool.

And God Knows, a way from The Nolans’ 1982 album, Portrait, which Linda performed solo the pursuing twelvemonth during a BBC TV special.

Poems were besides work by Linda’s large nephew Vinny Palmer, her elder sister Anne’s grandson, and by her ain granddaughter, Lucy Houliston. While Linda and Brian ne'er had children together, a determination she said was her “one regret”, Brian had 2 from erstwhile relationships who she adored, and who adored her back.

Carried from the religion by pallbearers including Coleen’s sons Shane jr and Jake, her coffin sparkled successful the sunlight, though her household looked progressively broken. Denise sobbed openly.

Decked with reddish roses, cards and floral tributes - Linda’s coffin received a lasting ovation from applauding crowds, arsenic it was taken to the crematorium. Her ashes volition beryllium laid to remainder with Brian's.

“She was a beauteous girl,” said comedian Paul Chuckle. “She was a large person to me.”

Close-by, Sharon Bull, 51, a landlady from Corby, Northants - a superfan - said: “I met Linda astatine 16 successful her dressing country successful 1989, I perfectly loved her. She wrote to maine implicit the years thanking maine erstwhile I sent her gifts. I consciousness I person mislaid a friend. She is an unforgettable person.” Young oregon old, celebrated oregon not, everyone said that. This was their toast to the woman successful pinkish who would, if she could have, raised her solid the highest of all.

The Nolans are raising wealth for their section Trinity House hospice, successful Blackpool, which helped some Linda and her sister Bernie. If you'd similar to donate oregon permission a tribute to Linda, delight visit linda-nolan.muchloved.com

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