It's no secret to those who knew her that Linda Nolan had an incredible sense of humour. In spite of her ongoing health struggles, Linda kept her brilliant sense of humour and ability to find joy even in her toughest moments.
Even in the last few hours of her life, she'd been "laughing and joking," her sister Denise told the Mirror. “Although the medical team had told her she had to stay quiet to let her treatment do its job. Everyone was being quietly optimistic as she’d seemed so cheerful. Then at 3.30am on Tuesday, we got the dreaded call, ‘Get to the hospital asap’.”
On Saturday, February 1, fans lined the streets of Blackpool to say their final farewells to Linda, who died last month at the age of 65, surrounded by her devoted siblings. Stars such as Shane Ritchie, Paul Chuckle and Jodie Prenger were in attendance at the service, which featured some of Linda's favourite music.
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OK!/David Cummings)Linda proved that her wicked sense of humour lives on as she chose Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone by Frank Sinatra - who The Nolans once supported on tour - for the final song at the committal, leaving mourners in fits of giggles as they heard the lyrics: "Please don't talk about me when I'm gone. Oh, honey though our friendship ceases, from now on.
"And, listen, if you can't say anything real nice, it's better not to talk at all, is my advice."
Speaking back in 2017, Linda insisted that having a sense of humour is what helped her get through her shock cancer diagnosis.
The star found out she had the disease during a trip to hospital after she fell on the stairs and broke her hip in March. Doctors found secondary breast cancer, as well as cancer in her pelvic and hip bone when they examined Linda following the fall.
It came six years after Linda was given the all clear following a cancer battle. She told Best magazine: "Humour gets you through a lot! And I have no choice. I have to get through this one way or another. So I've put a feather boa on my Zimmer frame, and the girls are calling me 'Hopalong'! When Coleen saw me she cried... then she saw the feathers and laughed."
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Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images for Hearst)Linda's sister Bernie sadly died after a second battle with cancer in 2013. She was 52.
When asked if she ever wonders, 'Why us?', Linda said: "Yes, but I also look at the TV and think there are a lot of people going through a lot worse - terrorist attacks, famines. At the end of the day you have to be positive and try to be realistic.
"I will fight it. Don't get me wrong, there are moments when you will find me sobbing in a heap on the floor, but I have to be strong. What else can I do?"
Linda had been told two years ago that the cancer had spread to her brain. Yet just two days before being taken to hospital last Saturday, she had said in her weekly Mirror column how she was feeling better after a Christmas “bout of flu”.
With her trademark positivity, Linda wrote: “I feel so grateful to be feeling well again. It feels like a whole new world out there. There’s nothing like the sensation of starting to feel better after an illness. I wake up every morning and I think, ‘This is another day to celebrate’.”
The Nolans are raising money for their local Trinity House hospice, in Blackpool, which helped both Linda and her sister Bernie. If you'd like to donate or would like to leave a tribute to Linda, please visit linda-nolan.muchloved.com
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