Just one week before she tragically passed away at the age of 65, Linda Nolan made an announcement about her worrying health decline.
The Nolans star, who was recognized alongside her sisters more than 50 years ago, passed away earlier this week from secondary breast cancer. The Irish singer was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, but she recovered a year later. However, she was discovered to have hip secondary cancer that had spread to her liver and then brain in 2017.
On Wednesday, the Daily Mirror columnist, who had her sisters by her side, was said to have had a “love and comfort” experience in her final moments. Her sister Maureen Nolan shared a statement the day after her passing, explaining that Linda didn’t pass away from cancer. Instead, she contracted double pneumonia, which her immune system couldn’t recover from as her body was struggling with cancer.
She wrote: “I would just like to say, to all the people out there who felt inspired by Linda… the big C didn’t actually get her. Due to her immune system, she battled it for two days over Christmas and the New Year. So please keep hopeful and strong if you are suffering, she lasted nearly 20 years with one cancer or another, and so can you”.
As she continued to live with the incurable illness, Linda was horribly disabled just weeks before her passing. She reflected on how her beloved sister Bernie, who passed away from breast cancer in July 2013, came to an end because she became so ill that she worried she was about to pass away.
The adored singer revealed that she had not eaten in 11 days over the break, which is a worrying sign when most people overeat. “A complete wipeout. Everyone’s been so worried”, she penned in her Mirror column on January 8. Energy drinks have been brought to me by the girls, and that is all I can eat.
She continued, explaining that her doctors had diagnosed a severe case of the flu. I would walk a few steps and struggle to catch my breath because I was so weak. Even though I try not to, my legs were even more shaky than usual, and I thought about Bernie’s ending immediately. You think, ‘ Oh my God, is this it? ‘”
On New Year’s Eve, Linda was checked out at the hospital, where she was given steroids on top of antibiotics. As my friend Sue and her husband Graham came over to Coleen’s New Year’s party, they sent me back home to rest, and she was then reassured enough to go home. I was asleep by 10.10pm – but that was pretty good going”!
Although the star, from Dublin, had days where she felt “terribly down”, for the most part, she was determined to look onwards and upwards, planning days out with her sisters, including Loose Women star Coleen. Despite her harsh diagnosis of secondary breast cancer, medical emergencies quickly became a thing of the past.
She told the Mirror at the time that her legs simply gave out under me in December 2024, adding that she had fallen yet more. Her sister Denise and her husband Tom Anderson demanded that she move in with them after one fall that made her appear to have “five rounds with Michael Tyson.” Linda was greatly appreciative of the support from her siblings.
The singer’s sisters Coleen and Anne Nolan, who both had cancer, and her husband Brian passed away in 2007 to liver cancer. Anne first developed the disease in 2000, while Coleen revealed she had skin cancer removed in 2023. Two decades later, she announced she had stage three breast cancer. Following a course of chemotherapy, she was cancer-free.
In a statement confirming Linda’s death, agent Dermot McNamara told The Mirror: “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”.
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 shared her journey to raise awareness and inspire others, and she was a beacon of hope and perseverance. Rest in peace, Linda. You will be deeply missed, but never forgotten”.
Whatever people living with cancer need to ask about cancer, work, money or life. both the big and the small things. To help, Macmillan is available on the phone and online. Call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan. org. uk and ask anything.
Source: Mirror
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