Bonnie Tyler, whose hits 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', 'It's a Heartache' and 'Holding Out for a Hero' defined the pop-rock of the 1980s, has died at the age of 75. The news was announced on her official website, with index.hr citing the BBC.
In a statement, her family and collaborators stated that the singer had unexpectedly passed away in a hospital in Portugal, following an illness, with a request for privacy. Tyler had been placed in an induced coma in May following emergency surgery for her bowels; she had woken the previous month but remained in a critical condition in intensive care.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, south Wales, she grew up in a council estate in Neath. She was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in a club in Swansea, and her first single 'Lost in France' was released in 1977. That same year, 'It's a Heartache' brought her international recognition, reaching number four on the UK chart and number three on the US chart.
Her greatest success, 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', arrived in 1983 and topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The dramatic ballad was written by Jim Steinman, and was originally titled 'Vampires in Love' as it was intended for a musical about Dracula. The song earned Tyler a Grammy nomination, and this year, 43 years after its release, it passed one billion streams on Spotify.
Tyler represented the United Kingdom at Eurovision in 2013, and was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2023 for her services to music. Last year, she released a club version of her biggest hit, 'Together', with David Guetta and Hypnotique. She leaves behind her husband Robert Sullivan, with whom she had been married for more than 50 years.
