Irish singer Linda Nolan, who toured with Frank Sinatra in the ’70s, has died at age 65 following a two-decade battle with cancer. Coleen Nolan, Linda’s sister and former bandmate, announced the “utterly devastating” news on social media Wednesday (Jan. 15.)
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Coleen called her elder sibling “a beacon of love, kindness, and strength.”
“Her wit, humour and laughter was infectious, her presence could light up any room,” she wrote. “Linda had a heart full of compassion and always knew how to bring comfort and joy to those around her.”
Linda Nolan Was One Fifth of the Nolans
Born Feb. 23, 1959, in Dublin, Ireland, Linda Nolan moved with her family at age 3 to the seaside town of Blackpool, England. Shortly after, in 1963, parents Tommy and Maureen launched The Singing Nolans with seven of their eight children.
Eventually, Linda and sisters Anne, Denise, Maureen and Bernie split off to form the Nolan Sisters in 1974, later changing their name to the Nolans six years later.
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The Nolans had a string of hits in the early ’80s, the most successful of which was their signature song “I’m in the Mood for Dancing.” The pop-disco tune reached the UK Top 10 and ascended to the top of the charts in Japan—no easy feat for English-language songs at that time.
This was the start of The Nolans’ unlikely success in Japan. The sisters became the first European act to win the Tokyo Music Festival with “Sexy Music” in 1981. Ten years later, they also won a Japan Record Award in 1991.
“Living With” Cancer, “Not Battling or Dying
In 2017, Linda Nolan was diagnosed with cancer for a second time. She first conquered the disease in 2011, six years after her first diagnosis.
However, the actress and TV host emphasized in her Instagram bio that she was “Living with cancer, NOT battling or dying.”
In an interview with OK Magazine last month, Nolan reiterated that she was “not scared of dying,” but rather, “sad that it’s going to happen.”
The “Spirit, Body and Soul” hitmaker offered some heartbreakingly prescient advice in that same interview.
“Let it happen—it’s going to happen anyway, so don’t go down into the doldrums and think, ‘What am I going to do?’” she said. “Just make time for the people you love.”
Featured image by Shutterstock
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