Cilla Black special edition of "Coronation Street". In 2014, Black was the subject of a three-part television drama series, "Cilla", focusing especially on her rise to fame in 1960s Liverpool and her relationship with Bobby Willis. ITV aired the first instalment on 15 September 2014, starring BAFTA award-winning actress Sheridan Smith. Black was married to her manager, Bobby Willis, for 30 years from 1969 until he died from lung cancer on 23 October 1999. They had three sons: Robert (born 1970, who became her manager), Ben (born 1974) and Jack (born 1980). Their daughter, Ellen (born 1975), was born prematurely and suffered
Cilla Black label which launched her career in 1963) released the career-spanning CD "The Very Best of Cilla Black"—containing all 19 of her UK Top 40 singles, new club remixes plus a bonus DVD of her 1966 TV music special "Cilla at the Savoy". Black was the best-selling British female recording artist in the UK during the 1960s, releasing a total of 15 studio albums and 37 singles. Black was offered her own show on the BBC by Bill Cotton, then Assistant Head of Light Entertainment. The show would simply be titled "Cilla" and aired from January 1968 to April 1976. Cotton