LONDON -- British singer Cilla Black, a product of Beatles-era Liverpool who became a national treasure over a 50-year music and television career, has died. She was 72.
Spanish police said Sunday that the singer died Saturday at her home in Estepona in southern Spain. Black's spokesman, Nick Fiveash, confirmed her death and said details would be released after a coroner's report was completed.
Former Beatle Paul McCartney said news of Black's death came as a shock.
"She had a fine distinctive voice and was always a bit of a laugh. It was a privilege to know and love her," McCartney said in a statement.
Black was born Priscilla White in Liverpool, northwest England, in 1943. As a teenager she sang part time and worked in the cloakroom of the Cavern Club, where her musical talent was spotted by rising local stars The Beatles.
Signed by the Fab Four's manager, Brian Epstein, she had a string of hits starting in 1964 with "Anyone Who Had a Heart" written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and "You're My World." Both went to No. 1 in Britain, and the latter also charted in the U.S.
By the late 1960s, she was famous enough in Britain to be known by her first name alone, and she hosted a BBC variety show, Cilla.
Black became a British television fixture, later hosting the matchmaking game show Blind Date and the heartwarming reunion program Surprise Surprise.
Metro on 08/03/2015