Linda Nolan funeral details confirmed as Coleen shares her sister's final words
Details have been announced for the funeral and resting place of beloved TV personality and pop star Linda Nolan.
Linda, from Blackpool, tragically died last Wednesday at the age of 65 following a brave five-year fight with secondary breast. Her sisters - Anne, 74, Denise, 72, Maureen, 69, and Coleen, 59 - were summoned to her bedside at 3.30am last Tuesday as doctors decided to place her in end-of-life care.
The siblings, who mourned the loss of their sister Bernie in 2013, kept vigil by her bedside during her final hours. Denise said she travelled to the hospital in an ambulance with her sister and added that her decline in health and death felt "very sudden".
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Her funeral details have now been announced in a tribute page dedicated to her memory. Donations are also being request for Trinity Hospice in Blackpool.
The Nolan family said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful Linda on January 15th, 2025. Linda’s life was defined by her incredible kindness, generosity, and unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Over the years, she raised over £20 million for a variety of charities, including Breast Cancer Now, the Irish Cancer Society, and Samaritans.
"Her legacy of charity and compassion has touched the lives of so many. In honour of Linda’s remarkable spirit, we would like to raise as much money as possible for Trinity Hospice, a local charity that was not only close to Linda’s heart but also provided care for Linda and her sister Bernie during their time of need.
"The compassionate team at Trinity ensured that Linda and Bernie were treated with dignity and kindness, and we are forever grateful for their support during such a difficult time. Linda was born in Dublin but made Blackpool her home, and she loved this town and its people with all her heart.
"The community she was part of meant so much to her, and it’s through your kindness and support in these recent days that we’ve felt her spirit continue to shine. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has offered their love and support.
"Your words have comforted us in ways we can’t fully express. Thank you for helping us celebrate Linda’s life and her extraordinary legacy."
Linda's funeral service will be held at St Pauls Church on Saturday, February 1, at 10.30am. It will be followed by committal at Carleton Crematorium in Poulton-le-Fylde at 12pm and mourners are asked to wear black.
Since her tragic death, Loose Women star Coleen has shared the sweet final moments they spent with Linda, saying how these last memories are providing the family with some comfort. She told the Mirror: "It’s been 10 days since my lovely sister Linda died and it’s still hard to believe she’s gone.
"As we prepare for her funeral, when she will be buried with her husband Brian’s ashes, I’m holding on to the memory of the last day I spent with her in hospital, which was full of love and laughter. My daughter Ciara and I sat with her and we said everything we needed to say to each other.
"She told us how much she loved us and we told her we loved her. I think she knew it would be the last time she’d see us, but there were no tears."
Despite her deteriorating health condition since Christmas, Coleen added that Linda was in good spirits. She said: "Although she had double pneumonia and was on oxygen, she was cracking jokes, being her usual funny self and eating the chocolate people had brought her.
"She wanted to hear about my new grandson and I showed her lots of photos of him."
Linda's hospital bed was surrounded by her nearest and dearest: "So many people came to see her, including her best friend of 60 years, Suzanne, and her stepdaughter Sarah, and the whole family were at her bedside. The nurses kept telling her to rest, but Linda, being Linda, would not stop talking!"
Her last words to Coleen will be ones she remembers fondly: "When I left that evening, I told her I’d come and visit the next day and she said, “Oh, you don’t have to” and I said, “I know, but I will” and then she said, 'Col, I really love you'."
Eventually though, Coleen had to make the long drive home and knew it was possibly the last time she would see her sister.
"We were all exhausted and my sisters told me to go, as I had a two-hour drive home, so I gave Linda a big hug and a kiss, and I knew it would be the last time. When Maureen called the next morning to say Linda had died, I didn’t feel sad that I wasn’t there when she took her last breath because we’d got to spend that precious day together and I’m grateful for that."
The family are now making arrangements for the funeral, and Linda even shared her wishes before she passed. "She wanted everyone in black, wearing mantillas," says Coleen, "those little lace veils that cover your face. 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!'
"We’ve decided not to do that, but we are wearing black. Her coffin is pure showbiz – bright pink and sparkly, just as she wanted. The one thing my sister loved was bling – her trainers had bling on them, her handbags, her tops, her walking stick – so it feels right that she has a glittery pink coffin."