Legendary Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler has died at the age of 75
The singer's passing comes months after she underwent emergency surgery in Portugal.
By Nick Reilly
Legendary singer Bonnie Tyler, known for her hits including ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ and ‘Holding out for a Hero’, has died at the age of 75.
The singer’s passing comes months after the Welsh singer was placed into an induced coma after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal.
A message posted on the official website for the singer read: “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.”
The official statement continued: “We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.” She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan.
Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins, ascended from humble beginnings in Neath, Port Talbot, to become one of Wales’ most successful singers of all time. She released her first single ‘Lost in France’ in 1977 and soon became known for her distinctive gravelly powerhouse vocals.
She released ‘It’s a Heartache’’in the same year, which reached number four on the UK singles chart and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Her biggest hit arrived in 1983’s ‘Total Eclipse of The Heart’, which hit the top spot in both the UK and America. The latter achievement allowed her to become the first Welsh person to score a number one hit in the US. Though originally penned by legendary lyricist Jim Steinman for a musical, it became the defining song of Tyler’s career.
She received a Grammy nomination for the song and went on to collaborate with Steinman again on the power-pop hit ‘Holding Out for a Hero’. The song was originally recorded for the ‘Footloose’ soundtrack, but became beloved by a whole new generation when it memorably featured in Shrek 2 in 2004.
More recently, Tyler represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 with the power ballad ‘Believe In Me’, where she finished 19th out of 26 acts. Tyler was made an MBE for her services to music in the same year.
And earlier this year, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.
“I’m really happy, when you think about it, there’s only 8.3 billion people in the world,” she said at the time.