05 August, 2015

By VIVA Team

Cilla Black, 72, who died at the weekend on the Costa del Sol.

Her voice may have been unmistakeably Liverpudlian, but the Costa del Sol had come to treat her as one of their own after spending many years enjoying life at her luxury villa near Estepona – Cilla Black, who died at the weekend aged 72, was a bonafide legend who will be sorely missed by her legion of fans…

The TV and singing sensation passed away on August 1 after many months of ailing health. The entertainer died from a stroke after falling at her home, confirmed the coroner on Tuesday.

What the world does know is that it has lost a much-loved personality; a star who helped the Sixties swing, who shaped modern day television and who brought joy, laughter and a lorra, lorra tears to millions.

Born in Liverpool in 1943, Priscilla White adopted the stage name Cilla Black to boost her singing career. In the Sixties, having been championed by none other than the Beatles, Cilla enjoyed a string of number one hits in the UK, and even enjoyed some success stateside.

The Seventies were also successful for the singer, and the decade marked her entrance into the world of television too – she hosted her own eponymous variety show, Cilla, between 1968 and 1976. It was in the 1980s that Cilla really became a household name, however, as host of Blind Date and Surprise Surprise – the latter a brilliant vehicle for Cilla’s natural warmth and cheeky compassion.

In recent years the star retreated from the limelight to enjoy spending time with her family. Cilla owned an estimated €15 million worth of property, with homes in Buckinghamshire, Westminster, the Caribbean and the Costa del Sol, and although she kept a low profile when in Spain, her presence would regularly turn heads in and around Estepona, which is where her luxurious villa is located.

Her death has shocked the British TV and pop establishment, with the media uniting as one to declare that the nation has lost another sweetheart.

The Costa del Sol shares the UK’s pain.