'Total Eclipse of the Heart' singer Bonnie Tyler dies at 75

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, best known for the global hit Total Eclipse of the Heart, has died at the age of 75 following an illness, according to a statement shared on her official Facebook page.

The statement said Tyler died on July 8 at a hospital in Portugal. She had reportedly undergone emergency intestinal surgery at a hospital in Faro, where she owned a home, before being placed in a coma and admitted to intensive care.

Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Wales, Tyler began her music career in the 1970s and rose to prominence with her debut album The World Starts Tonight in 1977. The record featured the hit Lost in France, helping establish her as an emerging international artist.

A surgery early in her career to remove vocal cord nodules permanently altered her voice, leaving her with the distinctive raspy style that became her signature.

Tyler went on to enjoy global success with a string of pop, rock and country hits. Her 1977 single It's a Heartache became an international chart success, but it was Total Eclipse of the Heart, written by Jim Steinman, that defined her career. The song topped charts worldwide and remains one of the most recognisable tracks of the 1980s, amassing more than a billion streams across Spotify and YouTube.

Her other notable recordings include Holding Out for a Hero, featured in the 1984 film Footloose, and Here She Comes, which earned her a Grammy Award nomination after appearing in the restored version of Metropolis.

Tyler remained active in music throughout her career. She represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 with Believe in Me. Her 18th studio album, The Best Is Yet to Come, was released in 2021, followed by her autobiography, Straight From the Heart, in 2023.

She is survived by her husband, Robert Sullivan, whom she married in 1973.