Inside Cilla Black’s £15m fortune and last wishes as she turns 79

Legendary singer and TV presenter Cilla Black has won the hearts of people across the country with her quick wits, Liverpool accent and catchphrases like ‘a laughing lorra’

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Cilla Black Presents Classic Saturday Night TV Show Blind Date

Cilla Black was one of Britain’s most beloved TV presenters when she passed away in 2015.

A national treasure rose to fame when a singer scored #1 on hits like Who Has A Heart and You’re My World Back in the Sixties.

She then went on to star in the hugely successful TV shows Blind Date, The Moment of Truth and Surprise, Surprise, cementing her status as a movie buff.

But tragically Cilla passed away after a fall at a villa in Spain on August 1, 2015 at the age of 72.

This week, the star, who has been celebrating more than 50 years in business during her long and successful career, turns 79.

Here’s a look back at how she created a £15 million fortune and what her ultimate wish is.

The story of getting rich from rags

Born Priscilla Maria Veronica White on 27 May 1943, it was not an easy start for Cilla growing up in the Liverpool slums.

She used to hang out at the city’s infamous Cavern Club, which helped launch the Beatles’ career – and her own when she started singing there after a brief stint as a cape aide.

The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, signed her and she became known as Cilla Black after a local newspaper reporter misspelled her name.

Instead of complaining, she decided to keep this stage name as her stage name.

Her early musical career was recently portrayed by Sheridan Smith in the 3-part TV series Cilla.

During this time, she made two Number 1 singles, duets with the likes of The Beatles, Cliff Richard and Dusty Springfield, and toured the world.

In 1978, Cilla was invited to participate in her own entertainment program on the BBC, where she sang, danced and interviewed famous guests.

This sparked the beginning of her television career, making her a household name in the 80s and 90s.

The hit series Blind Date, Surprise, Surprise and The Moment of Truth follow and the nation will fondly call her ‘Our Cilla’ and use her catchphrases like ‘a laughing lorra’ .

One of her last television appearances was in the 2011 ITV comedy Benidorm, in which she played herself.

Family life

Through her singing career, Cilla met Bobby Willis, a talent agent who became her manager and later her husband.

The couple married in 1969 and have three sons, Robert, Jack and Ben.

They also had a daughter, Ellen, who sadly passed away shortly after she was born.

For Cilla, family is more important than fame. She told the Mail: “I remember thinking, ‘I want a fucking family with singing, I want a family’.

“When our first son Robert was born, I remember Bobby saying, ‘This is him. It’s finished. ‘ And it was. ”

£15 million fortune

When she died, Cilla’s estate was recorded in a will worth £15,217,454.

The beneficiaries of this are her three sons, who were instructed to receive just over £3 million each after paying around £5.95 million in inheritance tax.

However, given her £2m Spain mansion and her £1.5m Barbados penthouse, the trio are expected to earn a bit more because of them. not included in her UK estate.

A year after her death, Cilla’s sons put the eight-bedroom mansion in Buckinghamshire – where she lived for 45 years in the village of Denham – on the market for £4.5 million.

This impressive property features a tennis court, entertainment complex, indoor swimming pool and spa.

Gifts for the butler

In addition to her three sons, Cilla left £20,000 to her housekeeper, Penny Walker.

The star considers the employee “part of the family” after working for her for more than three decades.

Penny has even lived in a detached house on the grounds of Cilla’s Buckinghamshire mansion for 30 years.

Last wishes

The star’s last wish is to be buried as ‘singer Cilla’ in her hometown of Liverpool.

Her funeral took place on 20 August 2015 at St Mary’s Church in Woolton before she was laid to rest next to her parents, John and Priscilla.

Her wonderful friends Cliff Richard, Paul O’Grady and Christopher Biggins paid tribute to the beloved entertainer. While her son Robert delivered an emotional eulogy.