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We have tragic news to report from the world of music today.
Bonnie Tyler — the singer best known for her 1983 hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart” — has passed away.
She was 75 years old.
News of Tyler’s passing comes courtesy of the BBC, who reports that the Welsh songbird died just months after she underwent emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal, where she had a home.
While she initially appeared to be recovering, Tyler ultimately died unexpectedly while being treated in a Portuguese hospital, according to a statement from her family.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, South Wales, Tyler first broke through in the late 1970s with hits like “Lost in France” and “It’s a Heartache.”
After undergoing surgery on her vocal cords in the 1970s, Tyler permanently developed the husky, gravelly tone that helped set her apart from every other singer of her era.
That unmistakable voice reached legendary status in 1983 with “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
She followed that success with another enduring anthem, “Holding Out for a Hero,” cementing her place among the defining voices of 1980s pop music.
According to Page Six, Tyler wowed an audience at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire on March 19. Sadly, it would prove to be her final performance.
She was set to take the stage two days later in Cardiff, but the show was postponed.
Tyler was hospitalized in Faro, Portugal, at the end of April over a serious tear in her bowel.
She reportedly underwent emergency intestinal surgery and was placed in a medically induced coma due to complications from the procedure.
Although Tyler never again matched the extraordinary commercial success of “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” she continued recording and touring for decades.
She remained especially popular throughout Europe, represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013, and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her achievements.
She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan.
Our thoughts go out to Bonnie Tyler’s loved ones during this enormously difficult time.
