Linda Nolan will be laid to rest on Saturday in Blackpool, following her passing at 65 after a long battle with breast cancer, with fans invited to pay their respects.
The late singer, who died in hospital in the seaside town, was surrounded by her sisters Anne, 74, Denise, 72, Maureen, 69, and Coleen, 59, in her final moments.
Now, in a poignant update, Coleen revealed some of Linda’s last wishes, which the family is honouring at her funeral.
Although they will be following Linda’s instruction to wear black, she confirmed that they have opted against the "little lace veils" her sister had requested.
The Loose Women star told The Mirror: “She wanted everyone in black, wearing mantillas, those little lace veils that cover your face.
“I remember saying, ‘You are joking, Linda! If I see all my sisters in mantillas, I’m going to laugh the whole way through the funeral!’”
Instead, the sisters have decided to give their glamorous sibling a funeral befitting her love for all things sparkly.
In a tribute to her showbiz spirit, Coleen added: "Her coffin is pure showbiz – bright pink and sparkly, just as she wanted. The one thing my sister loved was bling – her trainers had bling on them, her handbags, her tops, her walking stick – so it feels right that she has a glittery pink coffin."
Linda had made her funeral arrangements long before her passing. In April 2023, after her cancer had spread to her brain, she picked out a coffin, acknowledging the harsh reality of her condition, which she referred to as "a one-way trip."
In fact, her thoughts on funeral planning went back even further. As far back as 2007, she began considering her own arrangements after her late husband, Brian Hudson, made his own plans.
His coffin was said to be styled like a flight case, with "this way up" and "fragile" written on it—a fitting tribute to his unique sense of humour.
Linda’s late sister, Bernie, who passed away in 2013, also arranged her own funeral, as Linda shared at the time: "It’s easier for people left behind."
The late singer herself had chosen the Neil Sedaka song Our Last Song Together to play at her own service, a touching nod to her collaboration with him while recording music as part of The Nolans.
Ahead of her funeral, her family said that “everyone is welcome” at the funeral for the late singer, which will take place on Saturday at St Paul’s Church in Blackpool at 10.30am.
The service is to be held in the church where Nolan married husband of more than two decades, and where she said goodbye to him after he died in 2007, according to her family.
On Thursday, her sister Anne Nolan posted on Instagram saying “we lay our wonderful sister Linda to rest” this weekend.
“There’s been a bit of confusion regarding the church service and the crematorium. Just to clarify everyone is welcome to both services,” she added.
“There may not be seating available as both places are small and obviously we are a big family so most of the seating will be taken by us but if you don’t mind standing we would love you to be there and we know Linda would be thrilled.”
The family are also raising money for Trinity Hospice, which Nolan supported, and have asked that donations and messages of condolences should be sent to a memorial page in her memory.
