Welsh music legend Bonnie Tyler has died at the age of 75, according to a statement on her official website. The singer, born Gaynor Hopkins, passed away in a hospital in Portugal months after being placed in an induced coma following emergency intestinal surgery.
Family Statement Confirms Death
In a statement published on her website, her family said: “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. We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”
The singer had been forced to cancel or postpone all upcoming shows after being hospitalized near her home in Faro, Portugal, in May for the emergency surgery. She was scheduled to perform at Sunshine Festival in Worcester and at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena in December.
Rise to Fame and Vocal Transformation
Tyler first tasted chart success in spring 1977 with the ballad “Lost In France” when she developed a sore throat. Doctors diagnosed nodules on her vocal cords from excessive singing and recommended surgical removal. After the operation, she was told to rest her voice for six weeks, but a scream of frustration caused permanent damage. When her voice healed, it had acquired a gravelly rasp that producers loved. “I now sounded like a female Rod Stewart,” she recalled.
Her new sound found its perfect vehicle in 1983’s “Total Eclipse Of The Heart,” written by Jim Steinman. Steinman told People magazine: “I never thought it had a prayer as a single. 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 song topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Steinman also wrote and produced her follow-up hit “Holding Out For A Hero,” featured in the film Footloose.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born Gaynor Hopkins on June 8, 1951, in Skewen, Neath, South Wales, she was the daughter of coal miner Glyndwr Hopkins and his wife Elsie. She grew up in a council house with three sisters and two brothers, influenced by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Janis Joplin, and Tina Turner. She attended chapel three times on Sundays and gave her first public performance singing the hymn “All Things Bright And Beautiful.”
Leaving school at 16 with no qualifications, she entered a local talent contest in 1969, finishing second and winning £1. Encouraged, she pursued music, initially as a backing singer with Bobby Wayne and the Dixies. In 1975, talent scout Roger Bell spotted her at the Townsman Club in Swansea and invited her to London to record a demo. Months later, RCA offered her a first recording contract, advising her to change her name. She chose “Bonnie Tyler” from a newspaper list.
Her debut single “My! My! Honeycomb” flopped, but “Lost In France” reached number nine in the UK singles chart, leading to her first appearance on Top Of The Pops. In November 1977, “It’s A Heartache” became her first major hit, reaching number three in the US and number four in the UK, selling about six million copies worldwide.
1980s Success and Later Career
With a new contract at CBS/Columbia, Tyler sought a new sound and insisted on working with Jim Steinman. Initially reluctant, Steinman changed his mind after hearing demo tapes. At his New York apartment, he played “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” for her. “I just had shivers up my spine,” she recalled. “I couldn’t wait to actually get in and record it.” The resulting album Faster Than The Speed Of Night went to number one in the UK album chart and number three in the US.
Despite limited UK chart success in the 1990s, she remained popular in continental Europe. In 2009, she collaborated with Welsh choir Only Men Aloud on a new version of “Total Eclipse Of The Heart.” In 2013, she represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with “Believe In Me,” finishing 19th out of 26 with 23 points. She said: “I did the best that I could do with a great song. I don’t feel down and I’m ready to party.” In 2019, she performed at the Vatican’s Concerto di Natale for Pope Francis, calling it a career highlight.
Personal Life and Legacy
Tyler married Robert Sullivan, a property developer and former Olympic judo competitor, when she was 22. She became pregnant at 39 but miscarried, and the couple did not have children.
Her death marks the end of an era for a singer who defined 1980s power ballads with her distinctive raspy voice. Tributes from the music world are expected to pour in.
