Bonnie Tyler never performed at a festival again after her traumatic appearance at the Reading Festival in 1988, where the crowd pelted her and Meat Loaf with bottles, one of which broke Meat Loaf's nose.
Horrific Experience at Reading
The Holding Out For A Hero singer, whose death was announced today, performed at the annual music festival in August 1988. Reading was traditionally a heavy metal and hard rock event, but in an effort to attract a more mainstream audience, organisers booked pop acts including Bonnie Tyler and Meat Loaf.
Angry crowds expressed their fury by hurling bottles of urine at the stage. Meat Loaf's set was cut short after just a few songs when a bottle broke his nose. Bonnie Tyler recalled the incident years later while speaking at the Cambridge Union: "I've done Reading; it wasn't a very nice experience. I've never been asked to do Glastonbury but I think that would be fun. But Reading, when I was on it, it was horrendous. People were throwing bottles."
She added: "My band ran off the stage and I said, 'stay here boys, they're not a good shot'. They actually broke Meat Loaf's nose. He was on after me and the audience were going 'Bonnie come back' because he only did three songs. He said I'm not staying here to just be abused."
Aftermath and Legacy
Since that incident, Bonnie Tyler never performed at any internationally renowned festivals, including her dream of Glastonbury. She was due to perform at the Sunshine Festival in Upton upon Severn this summer but sadly passed away.
A statement from Bonnie's team 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."
Over the last few months, Bonnie had suffered from ill health. She was initially said to be stable and recovering well from surgery, but less than 24 hours later, she was placed into an induced coma. Despite signs of improvement, she sadly died.
