Bonnie Tyler, the singer best known for iconic ‘80s hit Total Eclipse of the Heart has died “unexpectedly” after a short illness.
A statement released to the 75-year-old star’s webiste said: “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 ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”
Sign up to The Nightly’s newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.
The singer had been battling an illness for most of the year which intensified in May, when she was rushed to hospital.
She underwent emergency intestinal surgery and placed in an induced coma to recover, according to the BBC.
She was reportedly taken out of her coma in June but remained ill in intensive care. Despite cancelling all her remaining 2026 shows at the time, representatives remained confident that she would make a recovery.
“Her doctors remain confident that she will make a good recovery but it is going to take time,” a statement from her official website released mid-June said.
“As such we are sorry to tell everyone that we will be cancelling, or postponing until next year where possible, all of our remaining shows this (northern hemisphere) summer.”
Tyler, whose real name is Gaynor Hopkins achieved international fame with the release of her hit single Total Eclipse of the Heart.
Written by Jim Steinman in 1983, the iconic power ballad sold more than 6 million copies worldwide.
It spent four weeks at No.1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 charts as well as taking out the No.1 spot in the UK, Canada and Australia.
Recognisable for her husky voice, Tyler has released many other hit songs over the years including Holding Out for a Hero, It’s a Heartache and If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man).
The Welsh rocker represented the United Kingdom in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, with the song Believe In Me, finishing in 19th place.
She was also made an MBE in 2023 for her services to music, after being named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
