Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh singer whose raspy, impassioned vocals defined the 1980s anthem Total Eclipse of the Heart, has died aged 75 in a Portuguese hospital, weeks after emergency intestinal surgery left her in an induced coma.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in a Neath council house, Tyler was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell while singing in a Swansea club. She adopted the stage name Bonnie Tyler by combining two lists of first names and surnames from a broadsheet newspaper – “and it’s been a brilliant name,” she once said.
“Bonnie Tyler, star of Total Eclipse of the Heart, dies at 75 after emergency surgery in Portugal.”
In May, while at her second home in Portugal, Tyler suffered a perforated intestine and was rushed to Faro Hospital for emergency surgery. Doctors later placed her in an induced coma after complications. A spokesperson said in June she had woken from the coma but remained “very unwell and in intensive care.”
A statement on Tyler’s website confirmed her death: “Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for. We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”
Tyler rose to fame in 1977 with Lost in France, but global stardom arrived in 1983 when Total Eclipse of the Heart spent two weeks at UK number one and four weeks atop the US charts. The song, written by Jim Steinman, originally ran eight minutes; a four-minute radio edit took the world by storm. “The first time I heard it was when Jim Steinman just played it on the piano in New York,” Tyler recalled. “He sang the song all the way through and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this song is amazing. I can’t believe Jim is giving it to me.’”
Her husky voice earned her the nickname “the female Rod Stewart.” Other hits included Holding Out for a Hero, It’s a Heartache, and Together. She represented the UK at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 19th with Believe In Me. In 2021 she released her 18th studio album, The Best Is Yet To Come.
Tyler, who was married to property developer Robert Sullivan since 1973, earned three Grammy nominations and was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2023. Her summer tour was cancelled as she battled the illness that ultimately took her life.