Cilla Black lay alone for 5 hours before she died from her fall

Home Top

One dead and three injured as a masked man armed with a gun and hatchet opens fire on Mad Max showing at Nashville movie theater after dousing the audience with pepper spray
EXCLUSIVE: Wracked with guilt over Bobbi Kristina's death, Bobby Brown confides: 'I should have made her go to rehab and become her guardian - just like Britney's father did to save her'
Obama calls for support for Iran nuclear pact - but bashes Republicans, tells Israel's PM he is 'wrong' and admits unfreezing cash WILL fund terrorism
Baby rescued by father's desperate call home when he realized he had left boy in 80F car at train station on work commute
National Enquirer runs deathbed photo of Bobbi Kristina amid heated family feud over another image taken during her funeral
'Shawshank' prison escapee Richard Matt had blood alcohol level of more than TWICE the legal driving limit when he was shot and killed by officer after three-week manhunt
Plane wing found washed up on Reunion island IS from missing MH370, Malaysian PM reveals as investigators are finally able to confirm the jet crashed into the sea 515 days after it vanished
Wall Street banker who claimed ex-wife was nothing more than a glorified childminder during divorce is ordered to pay her $6million
Woman held captive by her rapist boyfriend for four MONTHS finally rescued after sending out a desperate note for help in her rent check
The perks of being Chelsea: The Clintons 'helped buy daughter's $9million apartment and let her husband network at foundation events' as it's revealed she 'brought her own team of three with her to stint at NBC'
Former Owl City musician charged with trying to lure teenage girl back to his hotel room and onto the band's tour bus for sex
U.S. offers $5M reward for information on El Chapo as head of DEA suggests escaped drug kingpin may still be in Mexico
Pope invites Oprah, Matt Damon and Ari Emanuel to the Vatican to help improve Catholic Church's image in the media
Divorced people who remarry are 'still part of the church' and should not be treated like outcasts, declares the Pope
Body of diabetic teacher missing for two weeks in California forest found near the motorbike he was last seen riding
Son, 26, 'stabbed his father to death with a SWORD and left him in a chair with blade sticking out of his stomach'
Crab-like 'alien facehugger' in a cave is spotted on Mars in latest bizarre claim by conspiracy theorists
Boy, 11, charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of 3-year-old child
Father travels 3,000 miles from Finland to Africa on a JETSKI after his son asked him if it was possible
Discovery's cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting amid Josh Duggar molestation scandal cost the channel $19MILLION
Did she EAT her victims?: Serial killer 'Granny Ripper' who kept diary of 11 people she decapitated may be a cannibal
School 'warned authorities about 7-year-old's dramatic weight-loss in the months before boy was beaten into a coma by his father'
Tycoon's daughters who must wait ten years to inherit his $20m fortune go to court to contest bizarre rules which include bonuses for marrying
EXCLUSIVE: Dentist who killed Cecil the lion hires armed security and installs covert cameras after death threats and vandalism at his homes crammed with evidence of his hunting obsession

Cilla Black died from a stroke after knocking herself unconscious in fall
She was found on her balcony by her eldest son, Robert, hours later
Hours spent in 31C heat could have played part in her death, experts claim
Also emerged she had a tumble at friend's house days before the tragedy

By Gerard Couzens and Corey Charlton and Stephanie Linning for MailOnline and Jemma Buckley For The Daily Mail

Published: 11:19 EST, 5 August 2015 | Updated: 18:55 EST, 5 August 2015

288

View
comments

A Spanish newspaper has claimed Cilla Black died from hyperthermia - a condition caused when by extreme temperature elevatio

Cilla Black lay alone for up to five and a half hours after her fatal fall and could have been saved had she been found earlier, the report into her death has revealed.

Spanish pathologists believe she died between 12.30pm and 2.30pm after she fell and knocked herself unconscious at her luxury Spanish villa at the weekend.

She was not found by her eldest son Robert until between 5.30pm and 6pm. Paramedics could do nothing to save her when they arrived at 6.10pm.

Now it has emerged that the hours she spent lying alone in the 31C heat could have played a part in her death.

It was also revealed that the TV personality had grown 'increasingly frail' and that she had suffered a tumble at a friend's house days before her death.

Full details of the circumstances surrounding the tragedy were laid bare after Spanish authorities took the extraordinary decision to release the post-mortem report following days of speculation over the cause of death.

It came a day after the star's family released a statement saying she had died from a stroke.

The ten-page autopsy report confirmed the former Blind Date presenter suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage - a rare form of stroke caused by bleeding on the brain.

Medical experts said the haemorrhage had been caused by a head injury believed to have been sustained when she fell backwards and hit her terrace wall.

The report said that most people normally survive the injury Cilla suffered, and added heatstroke contributed to her death.

In a newspaper interview last year, Cilla said she was 'falling apart' due to her battle with arthritis.

She had an operation to help her deal with the problem and regularly visited her home in the Caribbean to allow the sun to soothe her aching joints. She also complained she was struggling with deafness.

The post-mortem report into her death revealed she had suffered a series of falls in the months leading up to her death.

Earlier reports in a Spanish newspaper claimed Miss Black died from hyperthermia after knocking herself out in a fall.

Sur, the most-read Spanish-speaking newspaper on the Costa del Sol, made no mention of a stroke and attributed her death on Saturday to heat stroke after a fall which it said caused her a serious head injury.

In an extensive report the, the paper claimed: 'The well-known presenter suffered a traumatic head injury at her house in Marbella and was left exposed to the sun which then resulted in hyperthermia.'

Scroll down for video

Cilla Black's son Robert stepped out of his late mother's villa in Marbella today to go for a run

Miss Black's sons Robert (left), Ben (centre) and Jack (far right) leave the coroner's court yesterday

Spanish Villa 'Casa Roll' where Cilla Black passed away

Hyperthermia occurs when a person suffers extreme temperature elevation due to the body's inability to regulate its temperature.

Linking the singer-turned-TV-presenter's fall to a possible dizzy turn caused by a sudden change in temperature, Sur added: 'The consequence of the fall was a serious head injury with internal haemorrhaging which led her to lose consciousness.

'In accordance with that line of hypothesis, the presenter remained unconscious and exposed to the sun and high temperatures, which would have caused her hypothermia or heatstroke.

'Despite the seriousness of the head injury, the investigation inclines towards the hypothesis that the high temperatures were decisive in accelerating death so that if the fall had happened inside her house, it would not necessarily have been fatal.'

The paper claimed investigators' conclusions hyperthermia following on from the head injury was what killed her as 'almost definitive.'

MailOnline has requested comment from her family's spokesperson.

A statement released by Cilla's spokesman Nick Fiveash late yesterday afternoon said: 'It has just been confirmed by the judge and coroner in Spain the autopsy was conclusive - Cilla Black died of natural causes.

'Cilla was sunbathing on her private terrace at her villa in Estepona, got up, lost her balance and fell hitting her head, which knocked her unconscious, and she subsequently died of a stroke. She would not have suffered.'

'The family have now been given permission to return her body home as soon as possible for her funeral, details of which have not been released at this time.'

Miss Black was sunbathing on her terrace when she had a fall sunbathing and died from a stroke, her family claimed. A Spanish newspaper has now said she actually died from hyperthermia, brought on after she fell

A look back at the life and career of TV icon Cilla Black

The statement was released after her three sons Robert, 45, Ben, 41, and Jack, 35, met with the judge in charge of the probe into their mother's death for a debriefing on the autopsy the day before.

The sons added, also in the same statement: 'We are devastated by the sad loss of our mother, but have been deeply touched by all the kind messages of support from her friends, fans, the public and media.

'We would like to thank everyone, especially the people of Liverpool. The tributes and condolences have really helped us through these difficult times.

'The Spanish authorities have now told us we are able to bring Mum home, which we hope to do as quickly as possible. We would also like to thank all those involved for their assistance with this matter. We respectfully request for our continued privacy to grieve.'

She died on Saturday afternoon a day after jetting to her villa near Estepona with her eldest son, who is also her manager.

Tests on tissue samples taken from her body have been sent to a specialist lab in Seville for further analysis. Her family are expected to fly her body back to Britain later today or tomorrow.

Cilla Black's agent Nick Fiveash told MailOnline: 'It has just been confirmed by the judge and coroner in Spain the autopsy was conclusive - Cilla Black died of natural causes.

'There was no mention of hyperthermia in the report. I hope this puts a stop to the continued speculation about Cilla’s untimely death and the family are allowed to continue to grieve privately as they prepare the deeply sad process of bringing her body home to the UK.'

Smiling: Cilla stopped to pose with fans at Malaga Airport after landing in Spain on Friday afternoon. This is thought to be the last picture taken of the star

CILL, I LOVE YOU: CLIFF'S POIGNANT FAREWELL TO FRIEND OF 50 YEARS

Close: Cilla and Sir Cliff in Marbella at her favourite restaurant

Sir Cliff Richard has penned an emotional farewell to his ‘wonderful friend’ Cilla Black, who he had planned to meet this week.

Paying respects to her ‘honest and gritty’ personality, Sir Cliff wrote: ‘Cill, I love you.’

The 74-year-old singer befriended the star when they met on her variety show in the 1960s.

Writing in The Sun, he said: ‘It was back when shows were still in black and white, and we sang a duet together called Passing Strangers.

‘What impressed me was that she looked me in the eyes as she sang the words, as if she really meant them.

'Too many artists just read the lyrics – she sang them with her heart.’

He added that despite spending periods apart, it didn’t affect their companionship. ‘We became friends but only managed to meet up from time to time.

'When we did we simply took up from where we left off.’

As well as revealing that he intended to visit Miss Black at her Spanish home this week, he recalled amusing anecdotes of his time with the TV star.

‘One of her favourite sayings was “I’m off to Cilla-up”,’ he said. ‘It meant it was time to put on her glad rags and she wore heels whatever the occasion.

'I recall she came on a cruise with me once and was flying all over the place because she insisted on wearing heels on deck.’

His touching remarks came as Miss Black’s breakthrough track Anyone Who Had A Heart re-entered the Official Singles Chart – more than fifty years after it first took her to No1.