Who was Linda Nolan married to? All about the Irish pop star as she dies at 65

Linda Nolan passed away at the age of 65 following her long battle with cancer on January 15.

The news was shared on The Nolans’ X account on January 15. The tweet read:

“It’s with great sadness that we announce the passing of beloved Linda Nolan. She faced incurable cancer with courage, grace & determination, inspiring millions. Surrounded by family, she passed peacefully. A pop icon and beacon of hope, Linda will never be forgotten.”

Her manager, Dermot McNamara, informed The Mirror about her demise and said,

"She passed at around 10:20 am at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on the MCEW Ward.”

The statement further added that,

“She passed peacefully, with her loving siblings by her bedside, ensuring she was embraced with love and comfort during her final moments.”

Linda was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and underwent a mastectomy as well as chemotherapy, as per a report in the Express.

Linda Nolan was married to Brian Hudson. Hello magazine said the couple met in 1977 and tied the knot in 1981. Brian was a former musician and the tour manager of The Nolans until 1983. Later, he became Linda’s manager. The pair was married for 26 years until he passed away in 2007.

Nolan rose to fame when she joined The Nolans, a girl group formed in the late 1970s. The group included her sisters Maureen, Anne, Bernie, Denise, and Coleen. A report in The Telegraph indicated that their group sold 25 million records worldwide, including 12 million in Japan, where they reportedly outsold The Beatles.

Let us delve deeper and discover more details about the life and career of the Irish pop star, Linda Nolan.

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How did Linda Nolan find success in her professional life?

Linda Nolan’s journey to success started in the 1970s when she started to perform in The Nolans along with her sisters. She was the sixth of eight siblings and was born to parents Tommy and Maureen Nolan on February 23, 1959, in Dublin, according to a report in The Independent. Her parents were singers and encouraged their young family to pursue music as their career. Linda Nolan shared with The Telegraph in 2018.

"The importance of hard work was drummed into us at an early age. My attitude has always been that unless I'm on a stretcher, the show must go on."

Linda made her musical debut at the age of four. She performed tirelessly along with her sisters at the nightclubs which often led to late-night performances. Several reports emerged that Anne, the eldest daughter, was s*xually abused by her father from the age of 11.

According to a report in The Independent, Linda shared her thoughts on her sister’s torment and said,

“Part of me cried, I’m ashamed to say because he didn’t do it to me and I didn’t think he loved me enough.”

She added,

“He was a Jekyll and Hyde, but when he wasn’t drinking he was fabulous and he stopped drinking for many years before he died.”

Another report in the outlet mentioned that Linda was groped by Rolf Harris during a concert in South Africa in the 1970s. She was only fifteen at that time.

Nolan’s career in show business spanned decades. The Nolans released their hit single I’m In The Mood For Dancing in 1979, which climbed to number three in the UK charts and was streamed more than 29 million times on Spotify, as per a report in People magazine.

The Nolans went on to sell a million records globally. Their other hits included Gotta Pull Myself Together, Don’t Make Waves, and Attention To Me. They also toured with Frank Sinatra in 1975 and performed with artists such as Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, Stevie Wonder, and Andy Williams.

In 1983, Linda Nolan left the group to pursue her solo career but later reunited with her sisters for various comeback performances. A report in The Telegraph suggested that Nolan was labelled as the “naughty Nolan” for a naked photoshoot in which she was covered by just a sheet.

Nolan is known for her memorable performance in the West End production of Blood Brothers. In 2014, she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, competing with various celebrities from different backgrounds and professions.

In 2015, Linda Nolan faced legal issues when she was cautioned for illegally claiming housing and council tax benefits. The investigation revealed that she had received over £18,000 in benefits to which she was not entitled.

After discovering her cancer, Nolan lost her husband, Brian Hudson, to skin cancer in 2007. It was a painful journey for her. In a 2018 interview, she revealed to the BBC,

"He was the love of my life... I lost hope of ever being happy again and started thinking, as people do when they reach a certain point in depression, it would be better for everybody if I wasn't here and I would be doing them a favour."

A report in The Telegraph stated that in 2017, doctors found a tumor in her hip, an “incurable” form of secondary cancer. Later in 2023, she was informed that the cancer had spread to her brain, which preceded her death in 2025.