Cilla Black death: Fans invited to say final goodbye at Liverpool funeral

Cilla Black's family have invited fans to come out and celebrate the life of the Liverpudlian legend at he funeral later this month.

The singer and TV star died at her Spanish home on 1 August. According to the coroner's 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. Her body was flown back to the UK days later.

Black, born Priscilla Maria Veronica White, will be laid to rest in St Mary's Church, Woolton on Thursday 20 August.

Liverpool is expected to come to a standstill as crowds line the streets outside the church to pay their respects. Speakers will be placed outside the venue for fans to hear the service.

"Cilla's sons are just so ­overwhelmed by everything at the moment," a source told the Daily Mirror.

"This has been worst week of their lives. It was hard enough losing their father Bobby at such a young age – but to have their mum taken away too is so cruel and hard to take."

In a statement released on Tuesday, (11 August) the Anyone Who Had a Heart hitmaker's sons Robert, Ben and Jack Willis thanked fans for their outpouring of love and support.

"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," they said. "We would like to thank everyone, especially the people of Liverpool. The tributes and condolences have really helped us through these difficult times."

As a result of fans paying tribute, the entertainer, dubbed Liverpool's Cinderella, has made a posthumous return to the UK charts. Her compilation album The Very Best Of – which was originally released in 1983 then expanded and re-released in October 2013 – reached number 14. It is Black's highest charting album in 47 years, since Sher-oo! in 1968, according to the Official Charts Company.