Singer and TV presenter Cilla Black has died aged 72

Singer and TV presenter Cilla Black has died of natural causes, Spanish police have confirmed. She was 72.

Cilla was found at her holiday home in Marbella, a resort city in southern Spain. According to the Guardian, a police spokesperson said, “We are still awaiting autopsy results but everything at this stage is pointing towards her death being the result of natural causes.”

Police believe the death had occurred overnight, and that Cilla had flown to Spain a few days ago with one of her three sons.

Cilla was born Priscilla Maria Veronica White on May 27, 1943 in Liverpool. Her five-decade-long showbiz career began in 1963. Her first two singles, “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “You’re My World”, both hit number one. Her career highlights as a TV presenter were shows “Surprise, Surprise” (1984 to 2001) and “Blind Date” (1985 to 2003). She was the recipient of a BAFTA Special Award in 2014 for her “outstanding contribution to television entertainment of over 50 years”.

In December, Cilla told The Daily Mail that she was “falling apart”. She had been battling arthritis and deafness; she had undergone a wrist operation for the former, and gotten a cochlear implant to help her hear.

Cilla previously told the Daily Mirror that she would like to die at age 75. “Seventy-five is a good age to go, I still think that way,” she said. “Secretly I don’t want to linger. I don’t want to be a burden on anybody.”

She is survived by her three sons, Robert, Ben and Jack, and two grandchildren.