Cliff Richard is facing fresh grief, with the death of his sister Donna.
A spokesman for the singer confirmed that Donna Goulden had died, aged 73, after suffering with illness for some time.
The veteran star had learned of his sister’s death when he performed at a concert in Denmark on Saturday evening.
Sir Cliff and Donna, the eldest of his three sisters, were known to be close, with Donna helping the singer at the beginning of his career. A source tells the Daily Mail how Donna “used to transcribe lyrics off the latest American singles so he and his early group The Drifters could play them. Cliff has always been close to his family”.
Losing his sister comes at a poignant time for Cliff, as he continues to recover from the upset of being investigated for historic sex abuse.
South Yorkshire Police recently dropped their investigation against the singer, two years after their raid of his Berkshire home was filmed live by the BBC, while Sir Cliff was abroad.
The 75-year-old singer wasn’t arrested or charged with any offences, and recently announced his intention to sue both South Yorkshire Police and the BBC for the upset caused. The Police force has apologised, but the BBC chief Sir Tony Hall has stood by the decision to broadcast the raid.
Sir Cliff also lost his close friend Cilla Black a year ago, travelling to the UK to sing at her funeral in Liverpool.
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