Blackpool's Linda Nolan honoured at the 2025 Olivier Awards 3 months on from death

Irish born Linda, who spent many years of her life living in Blackpool, passed away aged 65 in January from double pneumonia after battling with cancer for the past two decades.

In early February, hundreds of local people then attended the former Nolan singer’s funeral at St Paul’s Church in Blackpool, keen to pay their respects.

Now, three months after Linda death, respects have also been paid by the prestigious awards ceremony The Olivier Awards.

Taking place last night, organisers remembered Linda’s commitment to the arts by including her in this year’s ‘In Memoriam’ segment.

A black and white image of Linda, wearing glamorous makeup and sparkly earrings, appeared on the screen on stage with her memorial reading: “Linda Nolan. Actor & Recording Artist.”

For those not attending or watching the ceremony, Linda also featured on the award show’s website in a gallery to “acknowledge members of the theatre community who have left us from 4 April 2024 through to 10 days before the Olivier Awards 2025.”

Following the ‘In Memoriam’ airing, Linda’s sister Coleen Nolan took to her Instagram page to thank the awards.

Blackpool born Coleen shared an image of Linda’s memorial slide and wrote in overlay text: “Thank you @olivierawards for the beautiful tribute to Linda”

The In Memoriam segment paid tribute to other stars from the theatre world, including Oscar nominee Dame Joan Plowright , King Lear actor Timothy West , Downton Abbey star Dame Maggie Smith, Top Gun star Val Kilmer , The Lord Of The Rings film series actor Bernard Hill , and Star Wars franchise star James Earl Jones .

The biggest winners of the 2025 Olivier Awards were the musical version of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, a revival of Fiddler On The Roof, and Giant, about children's author Roald Dahl grappling with whether to make a public apology for an article deemed antisemitic.

They earned three awards each, with Giant winning best new play, best actor for Lithgow, who plays Dahl, and best actor in a supporting role for English actor Elliot Levey .

The annual event, which celebrates theatrical productions, was co-hosted by British singer Beverley Knight and Pose star Billy Porter at the Royal Albert Hall in London .