R.I.P Bonnie Tyler dead at 75: 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' singer
Total Eclipse of the Heart singer Bonnie Tyler has died at the age of 75.
She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Robert Sullivan.
A spokesperson confirmed the tragic news in a statement released on Thursday, just two months after she was put in a medically-induced coma after undergoing an emergency intestinal surgery.
“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 spokesperson said.
“We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”
A day before it was revealed that Tyler was in a coma, it was reported that the three-time Grammy nominee had been rushed to hospital in Portugal for an emergency procedure.
“We are very sorry to announce that Bonnie has been admitted to hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, for emergency intestinal surgery,” a statement posted on her social media accounts read.
“The surgery went well, and she is now recuperating.”
An update was then given on the ‘80s chart-topper’s condition last month which confirmed Tyler had come out of the coma, but was “very unwell and in intensive care”.
Tyler’s 2026 European tour had been scheduled to begin with a performance in Malta on May 22.
Earlier this year, just a couple of months before her medical emergency, Tyler spoke about how much she enjoyed being on stage despite some health issues over the years.
“I’m fit enough at the moment, touch wood, and I’m really enjoying doing the shows,” she told Hello! Magazine.
“I’m still rocking on that stage with my wonderful band, and if you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything.”
“I do home Pilates, only 20 minutes a day — it’s something I can do in my hotel rooms.
“I have had problems with my knees; I didn’t have new knees, I had what they call washouts [a surgical knee procedure], which turned out to be very successful. So, hopefully that will last for a long time.”
Tyler, real name Gaynor Hopkins, was born on June 8, 1951 in Neath in Wales.
After launching her career in music as a backup singer in the early ‘70s, she went on to forge a hugely successful solo career.
Her debut album The World Starts Tonight, released in 1977, thrust her into the spotlight, with many falling in love with her trademark husky voice.
However, it wasn’t her original sound, but instead the unintended result of a procedure she had done that same year to remove nodules from her vocal cords.
“When I went back in the studio, I started singing It’s a Heartache and my producers said, ‘my God, your voice is husky now, but we love it’,” Tyler previously explained to Hello.
“It turned out to be a great thing because it became my very first hit record in America.”
Her biggest hit came in the 1980s with Total Eclipse of the Heart, and she admitted in 2024 that she still got a thrill when she heard it being played.
“I still get excited when I hear the song on the radio,” Tyler told Good Morning America.
“Every time the eclipse comes, everyone all over the world plays Total Eclipse of the Heart, and I never get tired of singing it.”
Another of her major hits, Holding out for a Hero, featured on the Footloose soundtrack.
Tyler’s career spanned an incredible five decades, during which time she released 18 studio albums, including The Best Is Yet To Come in 2021.
In 2023, the singer was also appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
