Family, friends and fans of Bonnie Tyler will gather on Monday for the Welsh singer’s funeral. The Total Eclipse Of The Heart star, whose real name was Gaynor Hopkins, died in July at the age of 75.
Celebration of Life at Swansea Minster
Those who knew and loved Tyler will gather for a celebration of her life at Swansea Minster at midday on Monday. The funeral service will be conducted by Reverend Canon Justin Davies, while the entry music will be two of Tyler’s songs – If I Sing You A Love Song and It’s A Heartache.
Roger Bell, the talent scout who discovered the performer when she was performing in a club in Swansea, will share a tribute at the service, as will Tyler’s long-time manager Matthew Davis.
Music and Tributes Planned
The order of service also lists Bridge Over Troubled Water, Only Men Aloud, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, Those Were The Days and Making Love Out Of Nothing as other songs set to be played during Tyler’s funeral.
Her family also asked that in lieu of flowers, people supported two charities of which she was a patron – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales and Cerebral Palsy Cymru.
In the order of the service, they wrote the following of Tyler: “She is remembered as a warm, generous artist whose music touched generations and continues to fill dance floors and karaoke booths around the world.” They also said that Tyler’s legacy “lives on in the timeless songs that made her a legend”.
Public Viewing and Final Journey
Entry to the church will be for family, friends and invited guests only, but fans wishing to pay their respects will be able to watch the service on a large screen in nearby St David’s Square. The hour-long funeral will also be streamed online.
Tyler will then be taken on a final journey through her hometown of Skewen, near Neath, at around 1.20pm, before a private family committal and farewell service. Swansea Council said the funeral procession will travel along Fabian Way to Ashleigh Terrace, through the village of Jersey Marine, Pen Y Heol, Burrows Road, Hen Hoel, New Road, Sidling Terrace, Park Avenue and Peniel Green Road.
On Saturday, fans travelled from across the world to pay their respects to the singer as her coffin, draped in a Welsh flag, was returned to the Mumbles. The emotional crowd burst into a rendition of Total Eclipse Of The Heart as the hearse passed by. Many of those attending knew Tyler as a local, describing her as a “normal person who happened to be famous”.
Jan Roach said: “We know the family very well and it’s been a tough time for all of us, not just friends, family, but I think the whole of Mumbles. She was so loved by many, many people, we’re so devastated, we’re still reeling from the loss of her.”
Chicago actress Catherine Zeta-Jones was among the stars who paid tribute to Tyler following her death, as well as singers Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams.
