Cilla Black has died at her home in the south of Spain, according to reports.
The former pop star and television presenter, who lived in Estepona on the Costa del Sol, was 72.
Cilla Black and her husband Bobby attending the Royal Television Society awards ceremony in 1997 (Neil Munns/PA Wire)
Several national newspapers quoted a police spokeswoman as saying: “I can confirm the death of British national Priscilla White, aged 72.
“We are still awaiting autopsy results, but everything at this stage is pointing towards her death being the result of natural causes.”
When contacted by the Press Association, police in Estepona said they were not authorised to give out information over the phone, while police in nearby Marbella said they would not hold records of deaths in Estepona.
Celebrities have been quick to pay tribute to the icon of British entertainment.
Christopher Biggins: Cilla "will always be with me. She was a national treasure" http://t.co/KkyLf6kNNU pic.twitter.com/UUi5PtHhTx
— ITV News (@itvnews) August 2, 2015
Terrible news about Cilla Black. Very sad day today losing such an icon
— Peter Andre (@MrPeterAndre) August 2, 2015
Paul O'Grady: 'I can't believe my best friend Cilla is dead' http://t.co/FfipwpBVxC pic.twitter.com/xPXbsP3MWC
— Liverpool Echo (@LivEchonews) August 2, 2015
So sad to hear that Cilla Black has left us......you gave us a "Lorra Lorra laughs" Cilla. RIP x x
— Ruth Langsford (@RuthieeL) August 2, 2015
I am so sad and shocked by news about my good friend Cilla. She was a resplendent and rare talent. RIP #cillablack http://t.co/wsK6RtIszI
— Joan Collins (@Joancollinsdbe) August 2, 2015
So sad about Cilla Black. Thrilled I got to spend time with her last month. A proper television legend #cilla
— Antony Cotton (@antonycotton) August 2, 2015
Cilla aged 19 in 1963 when her pop career was just beginning (PA Wire)
Cilla was a coat check girl at The Cavern Club in 1963 when she was brought to the attention of The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. She released her first single in 1963, but achieved massive success the next year with two number one singles You're My World and Anyone Who Had a Heart. Hit singles such as Step Inside Love and Alfie followed throughout the 1960s as did success in the United States.
Her TV career developed in the late 60s, when she began hosting her own variety show on BBC1, simply entitled Cilla. She followed this and other shows up with the massive ITV success stories, Surprise Surprise and Blind Date, in the 1980s. To a new generation Cilla was very much a TV personality, but she once famously said she wanted to have 'Here lies the singer Cilla Black' on her epitaph. Last year, her early singing career was the focus of ITV's hit three-part ITV drama, Cilla, in which she was played by Sheridan Smith.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykd7172CUeA
The Cavern Club announces the death of its most famous cloackroom attendant (PA/Lynne Cameron)
