Cilla Black

A vivacious redhead with a warm and open-hearted personality, Cilla Black was a popular British entertainer for over 50 years. Born Priscilla Maria Veronica White on May 27, 1943 to a Catholic family in Liverpool, England, Black learned office skills at Anfield Community College but had dreams of becoming a star. She began working at the soon-to-be-famous Cavern Club, where she became acquainted with The Beatles at the beginning of their career. She started singing at clubs before she was signed by manager Brian Epstein, to whom the Beatles had introduced her. Black's first major success was her cover of Dionne Warwick's Bacharach and David-penned hit "Anyone Who Had A Heart," which hit Number 1 on the U.K. pop chart. She continued to make a career of successful covers, including multiple songs written by her friends the Beatles. After Epstein died in 1967, Black was managed by Bobby Willis, whom she married in 1969. Though most of her records were released in the United States, her musical success was mostly confined to her native Britain. As her recording career slowed, Black began an even more successful second career as a TV presenter. Her live talk show "Cilla" (BBC 1968-1976) ran for almost a decade. Following a pair of comedy series scripted by Ronnie Taylor, "Cilla's Comedy Six" (ITV 1975) and "Cilla's World of Comedy" (ITV 1976), Black hosted the British version of the game show "Blind Date" (LWT 1985-2003), variety series "Surprise Surprise" (LWT 1984-2001) and extreme game show "The Moment of Truth" (LWT 1998-2001). In 2013, she was honored by ITV for 50 years in entertainment with a televised special, and a mini-series about her long, star-studded career ran on BBC in 2014. Black died on August 1, 2015 of a stroke following a fall at her home at the age of 72. Generations of British entertainers and politicians honored her legacy.