Linda Nolan shared her poignant Christmas wish just weeks before she died after a long battle with secondary breast cancer.
Linda, 65, who rose to prominence in the 1970s as part of The Nolans, died surrounded by her sisters. Her final hours are said to have been filled with “love and comfort”.
Just weeks before her death, Linda shared her heartbreaking Christmas wish. Speaking to Woman magazine, she said: “My Christmas wish is that I will be here to see everybody next year as well.”
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She also voiced her hope for people to be “nicer to each other” in 2025, stating that it “breaks her heart” to witness conflicts on television.
In a moving column penned a week prior to her death, Linda disclosed her struggle with eating over the festive period, writing: “I became so weak I’d walk a few steps and struggle to catch my breath.”
The Nolan sisters starring Coleen, Bernie, Linda and Maureen.
(Image: Publicity Picture)
Despite her fears, doctors reassured her that it was merely a “bad case of the flu”, allowing her to spend New Year’s Eve with her sister Coleen.
However, Linda was admitted to hospital on Saturday due to breathing difficulties. Doctors diagnosed double pneumonia and, due to her secondary breast cancer which had spread to her brain, her condition worsened, reports the Manchester Evening News.
At 3.30am on Tuesday, her sisters – Anne, 74, Denise, 72, Maureen, 69, and Coleen, 59 – were called to her bedside in hospital as doctors made the decision to put her on end-of-life care. The family maintained a vigil by her side.
Linda’s agent, Dermot McNamara, confirmed the sad news to the Mirror, stating: “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.”
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“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.”
Linda Nolan and Coleen Nolan
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Hearst)
Linda was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and was given the all-clear in 2011 inspiring figure in the fight against the illness. Six years later though, she was told the disease had returned after tumours were found in her hip bone and pelvis.
Just four years before, her sister Bernie died aged 52 in 2013. Like Bernie, Linda was also diagnosed with incurable secondary breast cancer but decided to make the most of the time she had left.
Leveraging her celebrity status and wit, Linda sought to support others in comparable plights, including her sister Anne, who received a stage three breast cancer diagnosis in 2020, shortly after Linda learned her own cancer had metastasised to her liver. The siblings endured chemotherapy side by side; Anne achieved remission, but Linda’s condition was deemed terminal.
In 2023, the devastating news came that Linda’s cancer had invaded her brain. In an emotional revelation just before Christmas, Linda confessed to having her share of highs and lows, fearing it might be her final festive season. “I try to stay positive,” she confided to The Mirror in December.
“I’ll use jokes and humour as a way to cope, but of course it’s scary. And I have my days where I’m terribly down.”