Spanish police said Sunday that the singer, who had a home in Estepona, southern Spain, died Saturday.
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Celebrities such as Joan Collins, Barbara Windsor and Holly Willoughby have all paid tribute to the entertainer, television personality and music star, with good friend Paul O’Grady describing Black as being like his “sister”.
By the late ’60s she was famous enough to be known by her first name alone, and hosted a BBC variety show, “Cilla“.
She became a British television fixture as the cheeky, cheery host of matchmaking game show “Blind Date” (between 1985 and 2003) and heartwarming-reunion program “Surprise Surprise” (between 1984 and 2001). If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
Cilla, who also had two number one singles at the start of a showbiz career stretching over 50 years, died in Spain. Perfectly placed amongst the up-and-coming stars of the day, she wowed them with her singing and confidently convinced the powers that be to let her share the spotlight on stage.’ She became part of the 1960s “Mersey Sound” which included other performers such as Billy Fury, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Fourmost and of course The Beatles.
Cilla Black was a pop superstar in the Sixties.
Hers was a remarkable career by any standards.
Cilla’s enduring popularity stemmed largely from her amiable nature and her proud Liverpudlian accent, addressing people affectionately as “chuck” and her breezy “lorra, lorra laughs” catch-phrases. It was a shrewd move and, largely through her own sheer drive, she remained at the height of popularity until the end of the century and beyond. A year after “Surprise Surprise’s” debuted Cilla began hosting another light entertainment series for ITV, “Blind Date” which would go on to run until 2003. She has been the recipient of many TV honours and awards. Her husband Bobby Willis, whom she married in 1969 and had been her manager since 1967, died of cancer in 1999 at the age of 57.
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She is survived by three sons, one of whom, Robert, succeeded his father as her manager.
