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Total Eclipse of the Heart singer Bonnie Tyler dies at 75

Bonnie Tyler, celebrated around the world for tracks for pop-rock anthems including Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out For A Hero, has died at the age of 75 after suffering a medical emergency

Bonnie Tyler has died at the age of 75. The husky-voiced singer, who shot to fame with hits like Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out For A Hero, died in Portugal weeks after she was placed in an induced coma following emergency intestinal surgery.

A message on the Welsh star's website 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."

Last month, her spokesperson said she was out of the coma but remained "very unwell and in intensive care".

The star, who split her time between South Wales and her home in Faro, Portugal, had been due to embark on a European tour later this year but was hospitalised in May.

[Bonnie Tyler]

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The star's real name was Gaynor Hopkins but changed it to Bonnie Tyler just before she found fame(Image: Michael Ochs Archives)

[Bonnie Tyler]

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Bonnie began her music career in the 1970s but things really took off in the mid-1980s when she turned to a rock sound (Image: WireImage)

Bonnie was initially said to be stable and recovering well from her surgery, but less than 24 hours later, she was placed into an induced coma. Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha reported: "The singer is unconscious and connected to a breathing ventilator in the intensive care unit."

A spokesman for the singer said that Bonnie was "recuperating well" and a recovery appeared to be on the cards.

Bonnie is survived by her husband Robert Sullivan, an Olympian, whom she married in 1973. The couple had no children together.

Born as Gaynor Hopkins in 1951, to a coalminer and a housekeeper in Skewen, Neath, Wales, Bonnie grew up with with three sisters and two brothers.

[Bonnie Tyler and Robert Sullivan]

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Bonnie is survived by her husband Robert Sullivan, whom she married in 1973(Image: German Select)

As a teenager, Bonnie was entered into a talent competition by her aunt and after finishing as runner-up, she decided to pursue a career in singing. After finding work as a backing singer, she formed the band Imagination and changed her name to Sherene Davis to avoid confusion with fellow Welsh songstress Mary Hopkin, most known for her song Those Were the Days.

In the mid-1970s, Sherene was spotted by a talent scout and, after scouring newspaper articles, settled on the name Bonnie Tyler and initially found success with the track Lost in France when she signed with RCA Records.

As she celebrated her new found fame, Bonnie began to develop a sore throat. After consulting a doctor she was informed that she had developed nodules on her vocal cords as the result of so much singing and that the only option was for them to be surgically removed.

And once the operation was done, she was told, she would have to rest her voice completely for six weeks - not even speaking, let alone singing.

During her 'vocal rest' period, Bonnie went to visit her brother in hospital. The star had brought him a box of strawberries as a gift, but realised she had left them at home on the journey and let out a frustrated cry.

After that one anguished scream, she returned to the doctors herself to learn that she had now suffered permanent damage.

When it finally healed and she tried to sing again, her voice had changed. Her already husky tones had acquired a new gravelly rasp and her producers loved it.

When I went into the studio they all said, Bloody ell, wheres that voice come from?' she later recalled. I now sounded like a female Rod Stewart.

Things really took off for Bonnie when she ventured into rock music and collaborated with Meat Loaf and Celine Dion lyricist Jim Steinman with the song Total Eclipse of the Heart.

Total Eclipse topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and cemented Bonnie's place in rock music history.

The track was originally titled Vampires in Love, as it had been written for a musical version of Nosferatu.

"I never get tired of singing it," Bonnie recently told BBC News. "I love it because everyone can't wait to sing it."

I never thought it had a prayer as a single, writer Steinman told People magazine in the US. It was an aria to me, a Wagnerian-like onslaught of sound and emotion. I wrote it to be a showpiece for her voice.

The track became the lead single from her album Faster Than The Speed of Night, with Bonnie going on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide, releasing 18 studio albums and 86 singles in her decades spanning career.

[Bonnie Tyler ]

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The 80s legend was still performing just weeks before her death (Image: Most Wanted/Shutterstock)

Steinman also wrote her other major 1980s pop-rock anthem Holding Out for a Hero, which was recorded for the Footloose film soundtrack.

In 2013, she was selected to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with Believe in Me, ending up in 19th place.

Her final album, titled The Best Is Yet to Come, reached #18 in the charts upon its 2021 release, whilst she joined David Guetta, and Hypaton on Together in 2025. Bonnie had performed several dates across the UK in March, and, with an upcoming tour planned, recently explained that she never planned to retire.

She told The Mirror : "I started singing when I was 17 and I never thought I'd still be doing it at this age. I've slowed down a little bit, but I know now that I will never retire.

"Even though I was so lucky because I was in Portugal when the first lockdown was announced, by the end of it, I'd had enough. I was going crazy. I needed to get back out there on the road!"

Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer is saddened to hear about the death of Welsh pop start Bonnie Tyler.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: The Prime Minister is indeed saddened to hear about the death of Bonnie Tyler, one of Britains greatest recording artists.

An iconic figure, she leaves behind a catalogue of music from Total Eclipse Of The Heart, to Holding Out For A Hero which continues to touch lives, flood dance floors, and fill karaoke booths. He added: The Prime Ministers thoughts are very much with her friends and family.

Fellow Welsh native Catherine Zeta-Jones said her "heart is broken" as she paid tribute.

"Our Queen Bonnie.. you were such a part of my life," she wrote on Instagram, sharing a picture of them the night before her wedding to Michael Douglas. The couple had invited Bonnie to sing at the celebrations.

Catherine described her as an "extraordinary woman with vocals to match".

"A one of kind artist, who so easily could have been a comedian because she was one of the funniest people I ever met. Thank you Bonnie for the joy you brought so many."

[Catherine Zeta Jones paid her respects to Bonnie, who sang at her wedding to Michael Douglas]

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Catherine Zeta Jones paid her respects to Bonnie, who sang at her wedding to Michael Douglas

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Carol Vorderman described Bonnie as a 'legend'(Image: David Fisher/Shutterstock)

Broadcaster and media personality Carol Vorderman, pictured, says she is "truly sad" to hear the news of Bonnie Tyler's death.

"I am a Welsh woman, and believe me in Wales Bonnie Tyler is regarded as a legend - particularly amongst women," Vorderman writes on Instagram.

"She was extraordinary. I met her a number of times. She was very real. She was always laughing, asking questions, always having a good time."

Tyler represented something special to Wales, adds Vorderman, and will be "very very sorely missed".

"My heart goes out to her family - she was very much a family woman, and all of her really good friends. A very sad day."

lan Lockyer, Neath Port Talbot mayor, and Steve Hunt, council leader, said Bonnie Tyler was cherished by locals.

In a joint statement, they said: We are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Bonnie Tyler.

Starting out as Gaynor Hopkins, a talented young lady from Skewen, her journey from humble beginnings to worldwide stardom was an inspiration to so many.

This year marked 15 years since Bonnie was granted Freedom of the Borough of Neath Port Talbot during a ceremony at the Princess Royal Theatre, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the music industry as well as being a global ambassador for the area.

Despite living abroad for many years, Bonnie Tyler always spoke very fondly about her roots and continued to be a cherished and celebrated figure locally.

Our thoughts are with Gaynors family and the millions of Bonnie Tyler fans around the world.

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