Bonnie Tyler was remembered as “a star, but never a diva” at a funeral that included renditions of some of her biggest hits. Fans applauded and shouted “goodbye” as the singer’s white coffin, etched with symbols including a microphone and a treble clef, was carried into Swansea Minster on Monday. The coffin was carried to the soundtrack of Tyler’s hits If I Sing You A Love Song and It’s A Heartache.
Service Highlights
During the service, Welsh choir Only Men Aloud sang versions of Tyler’s biggest hit, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, and Bridge Over Troubled Water, by Simon and Garfunkel. Among the eulogists was Matthew Davis, Tyler’s manager since 1988, who described her humble personality.
He said: “She was always polite and pleasant to waiters and hotel staff and would not put up with anyone else not being so too. To me, that is the mark of a good person. Bonnie was always a star and never a diva. She still felt she was just a girl from Skewen and she never forgot her roots. She would have been amazed and very gratified at the massive outpouring of love that has occurred since her unexpected passing.”
Personal Tributes
Davis also said “music was her living, but not her life” and family was the most important thing to her, particularly her husband Robert Sullivan, whom she married in 1973. He said: “Most of all in her life was Bonnie’s love for her husband Robert, her husband of 52 years and with whom she’d been together for 56 years. A true lifetime of love, respect and partnership.”
The talent manager who discovered Tyler, Roger Bell, described her as “one of a kind” and “loved by millions worldwide”. Bell discovered Tyler, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan, when she performed at a club in Swansea. He said: “She was loved by millions worldwide, and has all the tributes, flowers, and cards from the Houses of Parliament, Prince and Princess of Wales, the Portuguese government, Cliff Richard, Rod Stewart, Suzi Quatro, and many, many more fans. But in Swansea she was loved by Robert and the family as Gaynor and Auntie Gaynor. There was a warmth and sincerity about her that shone through, and she never said no to having a photo taken or giving an autograph to anyone who asked.”
Early Life and Career
Canon Justin Davies delivered a eulogy written by Tyler’s family, which reflected on her early life growing up in a four-bedroom council house in Skewen with her parents and siblings. He said: “A cute baby girl took her first breath on the eighth of June, 1951. A star was born to Elsie and Glyndwr Hopkins and the best was yet to come, they just didn’t know it.” He also recalled Tyler’s first taste of performing, when she came second in a singing competition at Skewen Rugby Club in the late 1960s. He said: “She came in second and won just one pound but was hooked. She sang Those Were The Days by Mary Hopkin and the rest, as they say, was history.”
Mourners at the service included Welsh broadcaster Roy Noble, who befriended Tyler after interviewing her. The funeral procession also went through Tyler’s home town of Skewen, near Swansea, South Wales, where dozens of people lined the streets to say goodbye. Many of those who live in the village knew Tyler and her family personally, and most had a story to tell about the star. Hilary Burgum, 76, said: “Gaynor was a Skewen girl through and through. She never forgot her roots, her family, her friends. She didn’t change. I think everybody in Skewen is proud of Gaynor.”
Tyler’s death came just months after she was treated in intensive care after being placed in an induced coma following emergency intestinal surgery. The singer found international fame in the 1980s with the release of Total Eclipse Of The Heart, which shot to the top of the charts in the UK and the US. Faster Than The Speed Of Night, the album which featured the track, was also a chart-topping success and landed the singer her only UK number one album. Recognisable for her husky voice, Tyler released many other hits, including Holding Out For A Hero, It’s A Heartache and If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man).
