Cliff Richard 'winged it' after forgetting song words during Cilla Black's funeral

The 75-year-old singer paid tribute to his pal with a rendition of Faithful One during the service held in August 

The service took place in August

 Cliff Richard drew a blank during Cilla Black's funeral - and ended up winging the words to the song he was performing.

The singer, who was close friends with Cilla during her life, performed a rendition of Faithful One during her send-off in August.
But the tribute didn't quite go without hitch after Cliff found himself forgetting the lyrics to the song.
The 75-year-old has revealed he hadn't sung the song in years and was 'in the beginnings of a really bad cough' at the time.

Cliff paid a moving tribute

However the hiccup didn't manage to mess things up, with Cliff admitting he was 'surprised' by how well it turned out.
He told The Sun: "I winged it.
"And sometimes when you just allow the song to happen and you are just concentrating on being the person that you are and you have got to remember these lyrics I think it helps."

The pair had been close friends for decades

Legendary Cilla passed away suddenly from a stroke at aged 72 on August 1.
Her funeral was held at St Mary's Church in Woolton, Liverpool on August 20.
As well as Cliff's performance, Paul O'Grady gave a touching eulogy to the guests who had gathered to celebrate Cilla's life.

The funeral was held in Liverpool

Upon hearing about Cilla's sudden passing, Cliff released a moving statement describing her as 'outrageous, funny, and incredibly gifted' .
It read: "Some people will always be with us and Cilla is one of those people.

Cilla sadly passed away from a stroke aged 72

"I will always think of her as outrageous, funny, incredibly gifted but above all full of heart.

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"She was a very special person, and I have lost a very wonderful friend, I will miss her dearly. God bless her."