Linda Nolan, the Irish singer, actor and TV star, best known for being one-fifth of the family-formed girl group The Nolans, has died aged 65 following a long battle with cancer.
The singer died on Wednesday (15 January), surrounded by her siblings and “love and comfort”, a statement said.
Agent Dermot McNamara said in a statement: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Linda Nolan, the celebrated Irish pop legend, television personality, Guinness World Record holding West End star, Sunday Times bestselling author and Daily Mirror columnist.”
“She passed at around 10:20am at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on the MCEW Ward. The family said the hospital couldn’t do enough, they were tireless and made it so much more bearable.”
The statement continued: “She passed peacefully, with her loving siblings by her bedside, ensuring she was embraced with love and comfort during her final moments. Linda’s legacy extends beyond her incredible achievements in music and entertainment. She was a beacon of hope and resilience, sharing her journey to raise awareness and inspire others. Rest in peace, Linda. You will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.”
The singer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and went into remission the following year. In 2017, she revealed she had been diagnosed with a secondary cancer in her hip, which spread to her liver in 2020. Three years later, the cancer had spread to her brain.
The Nolans, best known for the Eighties hits including the disco anthem “I’m in the Mood for Dancing”, “Gotta Pull Myself Together” and “Who’s Gonna Rock You”, are one of the biggest girl groups to exist on an international stage.
The band was comprised of five sisters: Maureen, Anne, Coleen, Bernie and Linda, who secured seven UK top 20 hits between 1979 and 1982, and toured with Frank Sinatra in the Seventies.
Born in February 1959 in Dublin, Ireland, Linda and her family moved from Ireland to Blackpool in 1962 – when Linda was aged three – which is where the family began performing together at local venues and hotels.
When Linda was a teenager, the family band was catapulted from playing social clubs to touring with Frank Sinatra after they were spotted performing at the Cliffs Hotel in Blackpool in 1973. After their performance, their late father Tommy Nolan spoke to businessman Joe Lewis at the bar, who said he wanted the band to move to London’s West End, to perform in his club, the London Rooms.
“We were called The Singing Nolans in those days,” Maureen Nolan said in a previous interview. “We were billed as Blackpool’s answer to the Von Trapp family – we went from appearing at working men’s clubs to touring with Frank Sinatra.”
The Nolan family relocated to London with the hope of finding musical success, and changed the band’s name from The Singing Nolans to simply The Nolans.
After catching the attention of people working in show business, The Nolans became resident guests on Cliff Richard’s BBC TV show, It’s Cliff Richard, which aired until 1976.
The Eighties proved hugely fruitful for The Nolans: their 1980 song “I’m In The Mood For Dancing” was released on Epic – the same label as Abba, Meat Loaf and The Clash – and made it to number three in the UK charts and became a classic disco hit.
Linda met her late husband Brian Hudson in 1979 and they married in 1981. Hudson became the band’s tour manager until 1983 and was Linda’s manager after she left the group. The pair were married for 26 years he died from liver failure in 2007.
After leaving The Nolans, Linda supported Gene Pitney on his 1984 UK tour, and she went on to perform an eight-season residency as Maggie May on Blackpool’s Central Pier from (1986 to 1983), which she delivered more than 1,000 performances.
Meanwhile, Bernie and Maureen also went on to became actors while Coleen became a regular panellist on ITV’s Loose Women.
The band reunited in 2009 for their I’m in the Mood Again album and tour, with Linda joining the 13th series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2014.
Four of the Nolan sisters have been diagnosed with cancer over the years. In 2013, Bernie died of breast cancer at the age of 52. Anne previously underwent has undergone successful treatment for cancer twice, while Coleen revealed in 2023 that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Towards the end of her life, Linda moved in with her sister Denise and brother-in-law Tom, where she was receiving round-the-clock care following a series of falls.
Writing in her regular column in The Mirror over Christmas, Linda reflected on being grateful to see another Christmas amid her deteriorating condition.
“I can barely believe I’ve made it – but here I am, and I’m so grateful. Thank you so much for reading my highs and lows this year,” she wrote.
Speaking to OK! Magazine in December, she said: “I’m not scared of dying, I’m sad that it’s going to happen. I’ve [got] four cancers, about two tumours in my brain. Everything is changing, and things I didn’t even know were changing.”
“Just make time for the people you love,” she added. “You’ve got to cherish your moments and don’t dwell.”
Linda is survived by her sisters Anne, Coleen and Maureen, and their family of children and grandchildren.
