Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, whose hits "Total Eclipse of the Heart", "It's a Heartache" and "Holding Out for a Hero" defined the pop-rock sound of the 1980s, has died at the age of 75. The news was published on her official websites, with Index.hr citing the BBC.
In a statement from her family and colleagues, it was stated that the singer died unexpectedly in a hospital in Portugal from complications of the illness for which she was being treated, with a request for privacy. Tyler had been placed in an induced coma in May following emergency bowel surgery in Portugal; she woke up last month but remained in a very critical condition in intensive care.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in the town of Skewen in south Wales, she grew up in a council flat in Neath. She was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in a club in Swansea, and released her first single "Lost in France" in 1977. That same year, the ballad "It's a Heartache" brought her worldwide recognition, reaching number four on the British chart and number three on the American chart.
Her greatest success, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", arrived in 1983 and topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The dramatic ballad was written by Jim Steinman and was originally titled "Vampires in Love" as it was intended for a musical about Nosferatu. The song earned Tyler a Grammy nomination, and this year, 43 years after its release, it surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.
Tyler represented the United Kingdom at Eurovision in 2013, and in 2023 she was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contribution to music. Last year, she released a club version of her biggest hit with David Guetta and Hypaton titled "Together". She leaves behind her husband Robert Sullivan, with whom she was married for more than 50 years.
