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'Total Eclipse of the Heart' Singer Bonnie Tyler Dies Aged 75

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  July 09, 2026 7:45 AM

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, best known for her 1983 smash hit 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' has died. She was 75 years old.

Tyler's family announced her death in a Facebook post, writing, "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 we ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy."

Back in May, Tyler was hospitalized in Portugal for 'emergency intestinal surgery,' with reports saying she had a perforated intestine. She was later placed in an induced coma and suffered cardiac arrest when doctors tried to bring her out of that coma. She was resuscitated. In June, Tyler's representative said she remained 'seriously ill.'

Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Neath, Wales to her coal miner father, Glyndwr Hopkins, and Elise Hopkins. Hopkins had three sisters and two brothers and attended Rhydhir Comprehensive School in Neath. At 16, she left school and began working in a grocery store.

In 1969, she entered a talent competition by her aunt and came in second. That inspired Hopkins to pursue a career in singing, and she worked as a backing vocalist for Bobby Wayne & the Dixies before forming the band Imagination. It was then that Hopkins changed her name from Hopkins to 'Sherene Davis' to avoid confusion with Welsh folk singer Mary Hopkin.

In 1975, Hopkins was spotted by talent scout Roger Bell, who invited her to London for a demo recording. She heard from RCA Records months later and was offered a recording contract. It was then that Hopkins changed her name from 'Sherene Davis' to Bonnie Tyler.

Her debut single, 'My! My! Honeycomb' was released in April 1976, but failed to chart. Her second release, 'Lost in France,' hit number nine in the U.K. and Tyler made her first appearance on 'Top of the Pops.' Her first album, The World Starts Tonight, released in February 1977.

In the early 1980s, Tyler signed with CBS/Columbia after her contract with RCA expired. She then chose Jim Steinman as her new producer. On February 11, 1983, Tyler released 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' which became one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, debuted at number one on the U.K. Albums Chart and number four on the U.S. Billboard 200. She was nominated for two Grammys, two AMAs, and a BRIT Award.

In 2022, Tyler was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Tyler married property developer and Olympic judo competitor Robert Sullivan in 1973. They bought a home in Southern Portugal in 1988. They had no children.

Her illness canceled several tour stops in May and June, but Tyler had planned to resume touring this October, with several European gigs booked through December 17, when Tyler planned on ending the tour in her hometown of Wales.

Tyler is survived by her husband.