Linda Nolan's heartbreaking fear about death as sister confirms cause wasn't cancer

Beloved TV personality and singer Linda Nolan tragically feared that Christmas 2024 would be her last after she suffered a fall and became unwell with a worrying illness

Linda Nolan opened up about her worrying health decline just a week before she tragically passed away aged 65.

The Nolans star, who shot to fame alongside her sisters more than 50 years ago, died earlier this week following a diagnosis of secondary breast cancer. The Irish singer was first told she had breast cancer in 2005 and went into remission a year later. But in 2017, she was diagnosed with secondary cancer in her hip, which spread to her liver and then her brain.

The Daily Mirror columnist died with her sisters at her side on Wednesday and her final moments were said to have been full of 'love and comfort'. Sharing a statement a day after her death, her sister Maureen Nolan explained Linda didn't die of 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. She contracted double pneumonia over Christmas and New Year, and because of her immune system, it was one battle too much. So please keep hopeful and strong if you are suffering, she lasted nearly 20 years with one cancer or another, and so can you."

Just weeks before her death, Linda was devastatingly struck down with a "mystery illness" as she continued to live with the incurable disease. She became so ill that she worried she was close to death and reflected on how it came to an end for her beloved sister Bernie, who died from breast cancer in July 2013.

The adored singer revealed she hadn't eaten for 11 days over the holiday - a worrying symptom at a time when most indulge to their limit. "A complete wipeout. Everyone's been so worried," she penned in her Mirror column on January 8. "The girls have been bringing me energy drinks and that's all I've been able to get down."

She went on to explain that her doctors said it had been a bad case of flu. "I became so weak I'd walk a few steps and struggle to catch my breath. My legs were even more wobbly than usual and of course although I try not to, I immediately thought of how Bernie was at the end. 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. "They sent me back home to rest and she [Denise] was then reassured enough to go to Coleen's New Year's party as my friend Sue and her husband Graham came round to stay. 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. However medical emergencies became commonplace as she dealt with the harsh diagnosis of secondary breast cancer.

In December 2024, she suffered yet another fall, with her telling the Mirror at the time: "My legs just gave way from under me." After one fall left her looking like she'd done "five rounds with Michael Tyson", her sister Denise and her husband Tom Anderson insisted she move in with them. The support from her siblings had been invaluable to Linda.

The singer lost her husband Brian to liver cancer in 2007, and her sisters Coleen and Anne Nolan also received cancer diagnoses. Coleen revealed she had skin cancer removed in 2023, while Anne first had cancer in 2000. 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 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."

Whatever people living with cancer need to ask about cancer, work, money or life. The big things and the small stuff. Macmillan is at the end of the phone and online to provide support. Call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk and ask anything.