Legendary UK singer and TV presenter Cilla Black has died of natural causes at her Spanish villa, aged 72.
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Holly Willoughby – who presents the current revamp of Cilla’s show Surprise Surprise – also paid tribute to the “incredible lady”.
Black, real name Priscilla White, was found at her villa in Estepona, Spain.
The death was disovered overnight and appeared to be due to natural causes, but this had not yet been confirmed, police said.
Born in Liverpool on 27 May 1943 as Priscilla Maria Veronica White, it took Cilla just 21 years to conquer the British charts with her singles Anyone Who Had a Heart and You’re my World. She saw her chance when the Cavern became a symbol of all that was fashionable, raw and exciting on the British music scene, and she grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Cilla Black with best friend Paul O’Grady in 2014.
She wrote: “Very sad news about Cilla Black“.
Cilla was also the first woman to have a primetime chat show on BBC One. So while her pop career was declining she was developing into the most popular figure on television. Surprise! (1984-1999) and Moment of Truth (1998-2001) never lost their popularity during their long and successful runs.
Sheridan said she had met Cilla before filming for the series began a year ago.
“I’m going to enjoy myself”, she told entertainment reporter Natalie Jamieson.
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Last year she spoke to the Mirror about growing older, saying: “Seventy-five is a good age to go”.
