Linda Nolan’s outlandish funeral requests revealed including ‘pure showbiz’ coffin
Last week, the sad news broke that Linda Nolan had died aged 65 after her long battle with breast cancer.
The Nolans singer died in hospital surrounded by her sisters; Anne, 74, Denise, 72, Maureen, 69, and Coleen, 59.
Now, Coleen has confirmed funeral plans are underway and her ‘blingy’ sister left plenty of requests for the family — although not all instructions are being followed.
The Loose Women star revealed they will all be wearing black, as per her late sister’s instructions but won’t be donning any ‘little lace veils’.
‘She wanted everyone in black, wearing mantillas, those little lace veils that cover your face,’ Coleen told The Mirror.
‘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!”‘
The sisters decided against that but will be indulging Linda’s ‘pure showbiz’ dreams with a glitzy coffin for the famously sparkling singer.
Coleen continued: ‘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 actually picked out a coffin in April 2023, after the cancer spread to her brain in what she called ‘a one-way trip’.
She had actually begun thinking about her funeral plans as early as 2007 after her husband Brian Hudson, organised his own funeral.
His coffin was apparently styled to look like a flight case, with ‘this way up’, and ‘fragile’ written on it.
Bernie, her sister who died on July 4, 2013, also ‘arranged hers,’ as Linda explained at the time: ‘It’s easier for people left behind.’
She also wanted to use the Neil Sedaka song Our Last Song Together as part of the funeral, having worked closely with him while recording music as The Nolans.
The Nolan sisters rose to fame in the 70s with biggest hit I’m In The Mood For Dancing and a string of Top 20 UK songs.
Linda’s sisters were with her in her final days, although Coleen revealed she wasn’t there during those last hours.
‘I’m holding on to the memory of the last day I spent with her in hospital, which was full of love and laughter,’ she continued to The Mirror. ‘My daughter Ciara and I sat with her and we said everything we needed to say to each other.’
There were no tears from Linda, even though the family shared how much they loved each other and Coleen suspects she knew it would be the last time they would speak.
Coleen shared: ‘Although she had double pneumonia and was on oxygen, she was cracking jokes, being her usual funny self and eating the chocolate people had brought her. She wanted to hear about my new grandson and I showed her lots of photos of him.
‘So many people came to see her, including her best friend of 60 years, Suzanne, and her stepdaughter Sarah, and the whole family were at her bedside. The nurses kept telling her to rest, but Linda, being Linda, would not stop talking!
‘When I left that evening, I told her I’d come and visit the next day and she said, “Oh, you don’t have to” and I said, “I know, but I will” and then she said, “Col, I really love you”.’
Eventually, Coleen had to leave and face her two hour drive home so she hugged and kissed her sister and left her in the company of her other siblings.
She said: ‘When Maureen called the next morning to say Linda had died, I didn’t feel sad that I wasn’t there when she took her last breath because we’d got to spend that precious day together and I’m grateful for that.’
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