Social media users have been paying tribute to the late British TV star Cilla Black.
The Liverpudlian was a hugely popular entertainer for more than five decades, after beginning her career as a singer and later presented some of the biggest shows on TV.
Black hosted her own BBC variety show, Cilla, from 1968 to 1976 and became a prominent television presenter in the 1980s and 1990s.
She went on to host the hit entertainment show Blind Date from 1985 to 2003, Surprise Surprise from 1984 to 2001, and The Moment of Truth from 1998 to 2001.
Black celebrated 50 years in showbusiness in 2013.
She died in August 2015 at the age of 72, after falling and suffering a stroke at her holiday villa in Spain. She had been sunbathing and fell, hitting her head and leaving her unconscious.
At her funeral, she received many tributes from the TV world, including from Liverpudlian singer-turned-TV presenter Paul O’Grady. They had been close friends for 20 years and he admitted a “light went off in his life” when she died.
He also revealed that although Black was 12 years his senior, he hadn’t expected to outlive her.
O'Grady, who died aged 67 on March 28, 2013, after suffering a cardiac arrhythmia, said: “I’ve been asked to speak about Cilla on numerous occasions but I never thought I’d be here.
“I firmly believed she was indestructible and I always thought I’d be the one to go first.
“We discussed my funeral a number of times and she had a major role in it which involved a mantilla and lilies. I’m going to have to re-think that now, aren’t I?”
He added that their friendship came about because they "just clicked".
It is unclear why Black has been trending on X, but here are some of her best (and worst) bits nonetheless:
Her rendition of All Night Long
Quitting Blind Date live on air
For all her faults, Cilla Black did give us one of the campest moments in TV history. Quitting Blind Date live on air and then shouting Surprise Surprise in the background when the producer came out to address the audience. pic.twitter.com/pqi154jYBO
— SHANE REACTION (@imshanereaction) November 22, 2023
