Suzi Quatro has paid an emotional on-air tribute to her close friend Bonnie Tyler during an appearance on Good Morning Britain. The Total Eclipse of the Heart singer died aged 75, it was confirmed on Thursday, July 9. A statement on her website read: "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."
The statement continued: "We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy." The Welsh singer had recently been in hospital and in an induced coma after having emergency intestinal surgery. In an update last month, her spokesperson had said she was out of the coma but was "very unwell and in intensive care".
Suzi Quatro Recalls Their Bond
Paying tribute to her close friend, Suzi recalled meeting Bonnie in the 70s, saying: "I remember meeting up at the bar with her, we discovered we were both Geminis and that was it. The bond was made, we had a lot in common, a lovely girl with an absolutely wicked sense of humour that you didn't see coming. I always said, when she sings a song she takes it by the balls."
Responding to Kate Garraway's praise of Bonnie and Suzi both being "groundbreaking" artists, she added: "She had a voice that needed to be heard, end of story." Suzi continued: "There are a lot of singers that do power ballads in a sweet way, and she did it in a ballsy way, this is what made her different. A lot of girl singers are great singers, but they don't touch me, Bonnie's voice touched me."
Bonnie's Health Struggles
After hearing of Bonnie's health struggles, and being placed in an induced coma, Suzi discussed the Welsh singer's possible recovery. She said: "That was what they were saying, that she was going to pull through but I was always expecting not good news because when someone is induced into a coma, that's serious stuff."
Suzi went on to say that she planned to pay tribute to Bonnie in her next performance on Saturday, saying: "I'm not going to have a toast to her, I'm going to raise a fist for her, she would appreciate it." Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
