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LONDON: Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, best known for her powerful, haunting love song Total Eclipse of the Heart, has died aged 75 in hospital in Portugal, her family announced on Thursday.
With her distinctive husky voice, tousled mane of blonde hair and black eyeliner, Tyler was instantly recognisable as the queen of the 1980s power ballad. Tyler’s family said on Facebook they were “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”.
She had been in hospital in Faro in Portugal, where she had undergone emergency intestinal surgery in May. Downing Street said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was “saddened” to hear of the death of Tyler, calling her “one of Britain’s greatest recording artists”, whose music “continues to touch lives”.
Canadian singer Bryan Adams was one of the first stars to pay tribute, writing on X that Tyler “had such a great voice” and thanking her for her “beautiful” version of a song he co-wrote.
