Bonnie Tyler, the singer with the distinctive voice who became famous worldwide with the hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart," has died at the age of 75.
The news was confirmed by her family and team, who announced that the artist passed away in a hospital in Portugal, after an illness for which she was being treated. They requested privacy to cope with this loss.
In May, Tyler underwent emergency bowel surgery and was placed in an induced coma. Last month, her spokesperson announced that she had come out of the coma but remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in Wales in 1951, she later adopted the stage name Bonnie Tyler. She began her career singing in local clubs, but throat surgery in 1976 permanently altered her voice, giving it the hoarse timbre that became her signature.
Their first major success came in 1977 with the song "It's a Heartache", but their career peaked in 1983 with "Total Eclipse of the Heart", a song written by Jim Steinman. The hit reached number one on the US and UK charts, while the album "Faster Than the Speed ??of Night" became one of the most successful of the year.
A year later, Tyler recorded another iconic song, "Holding Out for a Hero," which became part of the soundtrack to the film Footloose and remains one of the most popular songs of the '80s.
Although her popularity in the US waned over the years, Bonnie Tyler continued to have a successful career in Europe. In 2013, she represented the UK at Eurovision.
During her career, she released 18 albums, received three Grammy Award nominations, and in 2022 was awarded the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to music.
Bonnie Tyler was married to Robert Sullivan since 1973. The couple had no children and the artist spoke publicly about losing a pregnancy in 1992.
With her passing, music loses one of the most distinctive voices of rock and pop, while songs like "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "It's a Heartache," and "Holding Out for a Hero" remain part of world music history.
