Bonnie Tyler, singer of the hit ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, has died
The news was announced by the singer’s family and team on her official Facebook page. The information was also confirmed by Reuters and The Guardian.
A statement from the singer’s family and team said that Bonnie Tyler had died unexpectedly during the night in a hospital in Portugal. The singer’s loved ones asked for their privacy to be respected and promised to issue a further statement later.
A few weeks before her death, Tyler had been in hospital following emergency bowel surgery. The Associated Press reported that the singer had been in an induced coma, from which she later emerged, but remained in intensive care in Portugal.
Who was Bonnie Tyler?
Bonnie Tyler was born on 8 June 1951 in Wales. Her real name is Gaynor Hopkins. She grew up in the village of Skiven, near Swansea, in a family where her father was a miner and her mother a housewife.
The singer gained worldwide fame thanks to her distinctive husky voice. According to Reuters, this vocal quality emerged following surgery on her vocal cords in 1977, when she was advised to remain silent during her recovery but ended up straining her voice. It was this very characteristic that later became her musical trademark.
Her first major hits were ‘Lost in France’ and ‘It’s a Heartache’. However, her real global breakthrough came in the 1980s, when Tyler began working with composer Jim Steinman, known for his collaboration with Meat Loaf.
The biggest hit of her career
Bonnie Tyler’s most famous song was ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, released in 1983. The Guardian notes that the track topped the charts in ten countries and sold around six million copies.
Her other big hit — ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ — was released shortly afterwards and also became part of pop culture. Both songs have been featured in films, TV series, adverts and TV shows for decades.
What else is known about her career
In the 1990s, Bonnie Tyler remained particularly popular in Europe. She continued to record albums, tour and collaborate with various producers and musicians.
In 2013, Tyler represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Believe in Me’. Reuters also notes that in 2022, the singer was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her services to music.
The Guardian reports that in recent years the artist has been living between Portugal and Wales. Her latest studio album, *The Best Is Yet to Come*, was released in 2021, and in 2025 she recorded new vocal parts for a collaborative track by David Guetta and Hypaton.
Bonnie Tyler is survived by her husband, Robert Sullivan, to whom she was married for over 50 years.
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