Fans are lining the streets of Liverpool to pay their respect to the late entertainer and singer Cilla Black, who will be laid to rest in her home town on Thursday.
Black died from a stroke caused by a "traumatic" head injury following a fall at her holiday home in Spain, aged 72.
One of the first people to begin waiting outside the church was her childhood neighbour, Robert Ross, who told the Press Association Black was the “Queen of Liverpool”.
Robert Ross, 72, said: ”She was a very bright girl, very down-to-earth. I remember her growing up, singing and dancing, going to different parties, going down to the Cavern Club. She used to perform down there with The Beatles.”
Cilla Black: Career in pictures
A number of people arrived wearing tributes to Black, including one man who has “goodbye Cilla” written across his chest. Others clutched newspaper clippings an record sleeves from the star's first album.
Sir Cliff, a close friend of Black’s, will open the service with his song 'Faithful One'. Christopher Biggins will give a reading during the service and Paul O'Grady, who described Black as like a sister to him, will give a final eulogy.
Members of the public gather at the church during the funeral of British singer and TV personality Cilla Black at St Mary's Church in Liverpool
Two of her three sons will read poems at the service, which will be presided over by the Right Reverend Thomas Williams, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool. Her body will then be laid to rest at a private ceremony in Allerton Cemetery alongside her parents.
Additional reporting by Press Association
