Sir Cliff Richard today called Cilla Black 'the greatest TV presenter in the world' as he performed a moving musical tribute at her funeral, held in the same church where she married her beloved husband Bobby.
The showbiz world turned out in force at St Mary's RC Church in Woolton to see Cilla return to her beloved home city of Liverpool for the last time, as thousands of well-wishers lined the streets for the star's funeral procession.
The church was filled with both laughter and tears from Cilla's relatives and her famous friends, as Jimmy Tarbuck dubbed his childhood pal 'Liverpool's Cinderella' and Paul O'Grady affectionately said: 'Ta-ra girl, I'll see you on life's highway.'
In a service which combined solemn Catholic tradition and the sparky modern touch you would expect from a Sixties musical pioneer, Cilla's hit Anyone Who Had A Heart played while mourners took communion, and her coffin was carried out to the music of The Beatles.
Celebrity friends including Sir Tom Jones, Carol Vorderman, Lord Lloyd Webber and Les Dennis were in attendance to pay their final respects, after the funeral cortege travelled a two-mile route during which it had to slow down to allow well-wishers to throw roses on top of the hearse.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/