Tragic cause of Cilla Black’s death confirmed by her family today
Showbiz legend Cilla Black passed away unexpectedly on Saturday in Spain, and after initial "inconclusive" reports from her post-mortem, her family have confirmed her cause of death.
"It has just been confirmed by the judge and coroner in Spain the autopsy was conclusive – Cilla Black died of natural causes," a statement from her publicist read today, according to The Mirror.
"Cilla was sunbathing on her private terrace at her villa in Estepona, got up, lost her balance and fell hitting her head, which knocked her unconscious, and she subsequently died of a stroke. She would not have suffered."
The Blind Date host's son Bobby discovered her body when he broke his way into her bedroom after she failed to get up from her usual afternoon siesta. Sources in Spain say he found her lying on her back on a sun terrace outside her bedroom, at which stage she was already dead. Marks on Cilla's right arm and elbow were reportedly consistent with a fall.
Initial post mortem results were "non-suspicious" but "inconclusive," but further tests were ordered to confirm how exactly the 72-year-old died.
Speaking to BBC News yesterday, a friend of Cilla's said she had been "willing herself to die" and wanted to be reunited with her late husband Bobby Willis, who died in 1999. "The last thing she said to me was she was going blind, she showed me her hands, she had arthritis," Cilla's childhood friend Terry McCann said of their last meeting in Spain in 2014. "She willed herself to die. She said, 'Bobby's waiting for me.'"
In a statement today, Cilla's three sons, Bobby Jr, 45, Ben, 41, and Jack, 34, said they were hoping to bring their mother's body back to the UK as soon as they could.
"The Spanish authorities have now told us we are able to bring Mum home, which we hope to do as quickly as possible. We would also like to thank all those involved for their assistance with this matter. We respectfully request for our continued privacy to grieve," the statement read.
