Welsh national pop singer Bonnie Tyler bids farewell

Bonnie Tyler, the famous Welsh singer who sang the globally popular song "Total Eclipse of the Heart," has passed away in a hospital in Portugal. She was 75 years old at the time of her death.

Her family members announced on Facebook that she passed away due to complications that arose while she was receiving treatment after an emergency bowel surgery she underwent last May.

Due to her illness, she recently had to cancel her European tour planned for the 50th anniversary of her 1976 song "Lost in France." Tyler, considered a prominent singer of the eighties, quickly became a recognizable icon among fans worldwide due to her distinctive husky voice, use of black eyeliner, and golden hair. It is said that she acquired this unique voice after a surgery for a vocal cord problem in the past, due to not resting her voice properly afterward.

Born Gaynor Hopkins in Neath, Wales, in 1951, she grew up with five siblings. Born to a coal miner father and a homemaker mother, she left school at the age of 16 to work in a retail store. During her free time, she pursued singing, and in 1975, while performing in a nightclub, she was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell. She then signed with RCA and began her professional music career under the new name Bonnie Tyler.

After achieving international fame with her song "It's a Heartache" in 1978, the biggest turning point in her music career was the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart," written by American Jim Steinman. The song has sold over six million copies and had been streamed over a billion times on Spotify by 2026, with its video accumulating over a billion views on YouTube. Additionally, her song "Holding Out for a Hero," which she sang for the 1984 film 'Footloose,' further boosted her popularity.

Many prominent figures worldwide have expressed their sorrow over her passing. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that Tyler was one of Britain's greatest singers and that her music would continue to live on in people's hearts and minds. Canadian singer Bryan Adams and classical singer Katherine Jenkins also expressed their condolences on X (Twitter), praising Tyler's unique voice and her invaluable contribution to world music.