Bonnie Tyler, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ Singer, Dies at 75

Bonnie Tyler, the voice behind the Billboard Hot 100-topping 1983 smash “Total Eclipse of The Heart,” has died. She was 75.

A statement posted by representatives on the Welsh rock and pop singer’s Facebook page on Thursday morning (July 9) said that Tyler “unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for”. 

Her death follows emergency intestinal surgery in May, which took place in Faro, where Tyler had a home. She was later placed in an induced coma.

Born Gaynor Hopkins in Neath, Wales, Tyler rose to international prominence in the late 1970s with ballad “It’s a Heartache,” before reaching global superstardom in 1983 with “Total Eclipse of The Heart.” Written and produced by Jim Steinman, the dramatic mini-epic spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, making Tyler the first and only Welsh-born singer to top the chart to date.

The song, which featured on her album Faster Than the Speed of Night, earned Tyler Grammy nominations for female pop vocal performance and female rock performance, and became one of the defining records of its era. She then followed with another enduring classic, the urgent “Holding Out for a Hero,” from the film soundtrack to Footloose. Tyler’s distinct, raspy vocal style, developed after early vocal cord surgery, became her signature. 

Across a career spanning more than five decades, Tyler released 18 studio albums. She represented the U.K. in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest 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.

Tyler had been due to perform at the Sunshine Festival in Worcester, England this summer, along with a number of European dates, and was also booked to perform at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on December 17. Her final full show took place at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London on March 19.