Total Eclipse of the Heart singer Bonnie Tyler dies aged 75

Nation Cymru staff, Lauren Del Fabbro and Carla Feric, Press Association

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, best known for her hit Total Eclipse Of The Heart, has died aged 75, according to a statement on her website.

The Welsh pop star, whose real name is Gaynor Hopkins, died just months after she was treated in intensive care after being placed in an induced coma following an emergency intestinal surgery.

Bonnie Tyler died “unexpectedly” in hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said in a statement on her website.

The statement said: “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.”

It was announced in May that the singer was taken to hospital near her home in Faro for an emergency operation.

Tyler was due to perform at the Sunshine Festival in Worcester this summer, along with a number of European dates, and was also booked to perform at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on December 17.

Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album The World Starts Tonight and its singles “Lost in France” and “More Than a Lover”. Her 1977 single “It’s a Heartache” reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.

In the 1980s, Tyler ventured into rock music with songwriter and producer Jim Steinman. He wrote Tyler’s biggest hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, the lead single from her 1983 UK chart-topping album Faster Than the Speed of Night. Steinman also wrote Tyler’s other major 1980s hit “Holding Out for a Hero”. Her other successful singles during this period include “Here She Comes” from the 1984 soundtrack to Metropolis and “If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)”, written by Desmond Child and produced by Steinman. She had success in mainland Europe during the 1990s with Dieter Bohlen, who wrote and produced her hit “Bitterblue”.

In 2003, Tyler re-recorded “Total Eclipse of the Heart” with singer Kareen Antonn. Their bilingual duet, titled “Si demain… (Turn Around)”, topped the French charts.

Earlier this year – over 40 years since its release – the original song passed the billion streams mark on Spotify.

Rocks and Honey was released in 2013 and features the single “Believe in Me”, which she performed representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. After reuniting with the producer David Mackay, she released Between the Earth and the Stars (2019) and The Best Is Yet to Come (2021).

Tyler’s work earned her three Grammy Award nominations and three Brit Award nominations (including twice for British Female Solo Artist), among other accolades. In 2022, she was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to music.

Her singles “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “It’s a Heartache” have estimated sales of over 6 million units each, and are among the best-selling singles of all time.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, the First Minister of Wales, paid tribute to Bonnie Tyler in a statement on social media, describing her as a “true icon”.

He said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Bonnie Tyler.

“Wales has lost a true icon, whose music brought joy to so many.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and fans across the world.”

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens also paid an emotional tribute to the singer on X, and said she was “so sad” to hear about the death of a “Welsh music icon” – who she described as “the sound of my teenage years”.