Cilla Black death: Coroner rules Blind Date star died after stroke

Legendary singer and TV personality Cilla Black, died of a stroke, a coroner has ruled. According to the report, the 72-year-old was sunbathing at her villa in Estepona when she stood up, lost her balance and fell hitting her head and subsequently suffered a stroke.

The Liverpudlian was found on her balcony by her son, according to BBC News correspondent Robert Hall. Paramedics arrived on the scene at 6pm local time (5pm BST) but were unable to resuscitate her.

In a statement, the Blind Date star's sons said they were "devastated" after receiving the "conclusive" results of the post-mortem from authorities in Spain.

"We are devastated by the sad loss of our mother, but have been deeply touched by all the kind messages of support from her friends, fans, the public and media," said Robert, Ben and Jack Willis. "We would like to thank everyone, especially the people of Liverpool. The tributes and condolences have really helped us through these difficult times."

The siblings also revealed they could finally start making funeral arrangements after they were given permission by the Spanish authorities to bring their mother's body back to the UK. "We would also like to thank all those involved for their assistance with this matter. We respectfully request for our continued privacy to grieve," they added.

The news come hours after Terry McCann, a childhood friend of the entertainer, claimed her health was ailing and she longed to be reunited with her beloved late husband, Bobby Willis. "I wasn't surprised when I found out she had died," he told BBC News. "The last thing she said to me was she was going blind, she showed me her hands, she had arthritis. She willed herself to die. She said 'Bobby's waiting for me.'

He added that she did not want to "linger like her mother". McCann said: "Her mother was ill for two years and she had the same complaint and she said she was never going to linger like that."