Jonny Humphries & Emma Stanley
BBC News, Lancashire
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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