Linda Nolan

Linda Mary Hudson (née Nolan; 23 February 1959 – 15 January 2025) was an Irish singer, actress, and television personality.

After moving with her family to Blackpool at the age of three in 1962, she attained fame as a member of the girl group the Nolans in 1974, along with her sisters Anne, Denise, Maureen, Bernie, and Coleen.

[2] The family lived in Raheny, a north side suburb of Dublin, before moving to Blackpool in 1962,[2] when Tommy and Maureen formed the Singing Nolans, of which Linda was a member.

[3] In 1981, Nolan scored a minor hit with her sister Coleen as part of the Young & Moody Band, with "Don't Do That" (UK number 63), which also featured Lemmy from Motörhead and Cozy Powell.

[2][5] The Nolans reunited as a five-piece (Bernie, Anne, Coleen, Maureen, and Linda) for one-off performances of "I'm in the Mood for Dancing" first for BBC One's All Time Greatest Party Songs, hosted by Tess Daly, which aired on 17 December 2005[6] and again on 9 August 2007 on Loose Women.

[8] On leaving the group, Nolan went on to play the role of Maggie May at Blackpool's Central Pier for eight summer seasons (1986–1993), completing more than 1,000 performances.

[10] From 2000, Nolan starred as Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers for three years in the West End, and regularly played the role in the UK touring production until 2008.

[20] In 2017, Nolan fell on her hip and was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered a form of incurable secondary breast cancer on her pelvis.

[27][22] In January 2025, Nolan was admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital with double pneumonia and subsequently fell into a coma.