Five touching details at Linda Nolan's funeral in tribute to late star

Linda Nolan died aged 65 following a lengthy battle with cancer (Image: Getty)

The touching details of Linda Nolan's funeral have been revealed ahead of the service

Linda, who died aged 65 on January 15, will be laid to rest at St Paul's Church in Blackpool, with mounrers expected to gather outside from 10.30am.

The singer was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 before disovering she has successfully beaten the disease the following year.

In 2017, Linda was diagnosed with secondary cancer in her hip, which spread to her liver in 2020. Three years later, the cancer spread to her brain. She died after contracting pneumonia. 

Linda's order of service shows the moving ways those in attendance at her funeral will celebrate her life.

The touching details of Linda Nolan's funeral have been revealed (Image: -)

1. The Nolans tribute

Linda shot to fame in family group The Nolans with sisters Coleen, Maureen, Bernie, Denise and Anne. In a particularly poignant tribute, their 1982 track 'God Knows' will be played as reflection music during the service.

2. Music by Donny Osmond

Music from Linda's dear friend Donny Osmond was always destined to feature in her last rites. The American singer was her teenage heartthrob, his posters adorning the bedroom she shared with Bernie.

His song Twelfth Of Never is set to uplift the congregation, a selection inspired by Linda singing it alongside her idol from the audience during his 2017 Liverpool tour. Their friendship dates back to the 1970s, following Linda's rise to fame with her sisters.

3. Family readings

Psalm 23, The Lord Is My Shepherd, will be the chosen reading, followed by a eulogy delivered by Linda's elder sister Denise, with whom she resided during her final years.

Emotional poems will be recited by her great-nephew Vinny Palmer, the grandson of her elder sister Anne, and by her own granddaughter, Lucy Houliston.

Although Linda and Brian never had children together, a decision she often referred to as her "one regret", Brian had two children from previous relationships whom she deeply loved, and who returned her affection.

4. Frank Sinatra bond

Frank Sinatra's song 'Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone' will also be played, a poignant choice given The Nolans once supported him on tour in 1975.

LINDA NOLAN FUNERAL ORDER OF SERVICE (Image: -)

5. St Paul's Church in Blackpool

St Paul's Church holds a special significance for Linda as it was the venue where she tied the knot with the love of her life, Brian Hudson, in 1981. A heartwarming photograph of the couple on their wedding day, their smiling faces pressed together, is prominently featured in the Order of Service.

This same church also witnessed Linda's heartbreaking farewell to Brian at his funeral, after he succumbed to liver failure at the age of 60 in 2007.

"St Paul's Church holds a deeply special place in Linda's heart," shared her manager and close friend Dermot McNamara. "Now, Linda will return to this sacred place to be reunited with Brian once more, finally at peace and back in his loving embrace."