Beatles stars Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are among those to join in the celebration of the colourful life of Cilla Black as a nation mourns the death of one of UK TV’s national treasures.
The singer and former presenter of Blind Date and Surprise! Surprise! has died at her home in Spain aged 72.
Cilla was put on the path to fame by Beatles manager Brian Epstein after John Lennon put her forward for an audition.
Macca called the Anyone Who Had A Heart singer a “lovely girl” and revealed she was “always a bit of a laugh”.
Cilla’s close friends Paul O’Grady, 60, and Sir Cliff Richard, 74, have also made tribute to her.
TV presenter Paul told the Liverpool Echo: “Please tell me this isn’t true? We’ve been friends for nearly 20 years. She’s like my sister.
“We had a week together in Barbados at the beginning of the year and I saw her on my birthday. I thought she was well. I can’t believe it to tell you the truth.”
He added: “I kept telling her she’d outlive us all. She’s such a strong lady.”
Sir Cliff said in a statement: “Some people will always be with us and Cilla is one of those people.
“I will always think of her as outrageous, funny, incredibly gifted but above all full of heart.
“She was a very special person, and I have lost a very wonderful friend, I will miss her dearly. God bless her.”
Amanda Holden, who met Cilla when she appeared on Blind Date in 1991 tweeted her respects, as did Girls Aloud’s Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Nicola Roberts, who had worked with the star.
Barbara Windsor told Good Morning Britain that Cilla had not been well last time she saw her.
Cilla and Paul O'Grady have a laugh at the TV Baftas in 2014© Cilla and Paul O’Grady have a laugh at the TV Baftas in 2014 (Ian West/PA) Cilla and Paul O'Grady have a laugh at the TV Baftas in 2014
The 77-year-old EastEnders star said: “I’ve seen her in the last few weeks looking immaculate – as always – but the last time I saw her I said, ‘How’s it going?’ so she said, ‘I don’t feel too good, I’ve got a few aches and that. I said ‘Darling haven’t we all, haven’t we all? We’ve got to face this haven’t we?’
“But she laughed it off, you know, she said ‘Oh but I don’t like having the hearing aids and things like that’ and I said, ‘Well it’s old age creeping in darling but look at us,’ I always said, ‘Look at us! We don’t look it do we? We still look in our 40s dear!’ and being like that… It was lovely to have seen her the last couple of weeks, always looking immaculate. That’s how I’m going to remember her.”
Naomi Campbell and The Spice Girls also commemorated Cilla on Twitter.
Sir Bruce Forsyth, 87, shared his memories of Cilla to ITV.
Cilla Black and Cliff Richard at Wimbledon in 2014© Cilla and Sir Cliff Richard often attended Wimbledon together to enjoy the tennis (John Walton/PA) Cilla Black and Cliff Richard at Wimbledon in 2014
The former Strictly star said: “Cilla I’ll miss you. I still can’t believe it. I didn’t see much of her in the last few months at all but whenever I did see her she always had a laugh. And she’d always laugh mostly against herself.
“What a lovely performer, what a lovely lady. We’re going to miss you.”
Other stars paying tribute online included Boy George, David Hasselhoff and Bonnie Langford.
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