Crowds gathered at the historic Oystermouth Castle in Mumbles on Sunday to pay tribute to Bonnie Tyler, as Mumbles Retro Week held a 'Bonnie Tyler tribute day' that capped off a weekend of remembrance. The singer, born Gaynor Hopkins, died in a Portuguese hospital on July 8 at the age of 75.
Weekend of tributes
On Saturday, people lined Newton Road and applauded as a hearse carrying her coffin, draped in a Welsh flag, made its way through the area. The tribute day at the castle, which was free to enter, saw performances of some of Bonnie's best known hits, sung by Mal Pope, Steve Balsamo, Andrea Harrington and more. Those gathered sang along and waved their arms to the music as they celebrated her career.
Others took to the stage and shared stories of Bonnie, including her former hairdresser, who she met in the 1970s. Among those in attendance was Christine Shoemark, who said: "After finishing my career, I went into a bit of baking and so forth, and I made a few cakes for her. She was a nice person, a real ordinary person, there was no frills, no 'I am', she was very nice."
Fans share memories
Robert Thomas and wife Natasha Thomas were also at the event. Mr Thomas said: "Bonnie was a legend, and we've enjoyed her songs over the years, and enjoyed singing them on karaoke as well, and we thought we'd come along and pay our respects." Mrs Thomas added: "The turnout this weekend has been fantastic. I'm glad she has had a good turnout, it is what she deserves. She will always be popular and her songs will still be played and I think she will live on in people's memories for years to come."
Plastic Sam, a local DJ for Welsh Coast Radio, added: "It was amazing scenes on Newton Road on Saturday. I've never seen so many people around for any event there. This tribute on the Oystermouth Castle grounds is also incredible, with a great line-up of artists singing some great songs, before the funeral takes place on Monday. As a weekend, you could say that Mumbles and Swansea are actually saying: 'We love you Bonnie, you ticked all the boxes for us.'"
Funeral details
Her funeral will be held on Monday, August 17, and details have been released confirming how people will be able to watch it online - with fans told they will need to sign up in advance. A celebration of life will then be held at Swansea Minster (St Mary's Church) on Monday, at around noon, which will be available for people to stream live online. The funeral directors have advised that those wishing to watch the service online will need to follow the link and set themselves up as a user on the platform beforehand. Once you make an account, you will be able to sign up to receive a free 'ticket' to the stream, which will be received through an email to the address linked to your account.
