Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh singer renowned for timeless hits including Total Eclipse of the Heart, Holding Out for a Hero and It’s a Heartache, has died at the age of 75.
Her family announced on Thursday that she died in hospital in Portugal following an illness for which she had been receiving treatment.
“Bonnie’s family and team are 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,” a statement posted on her official website said.
The family said a further statement would be issued later and requested privacy as they mourned her passing.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, south Wales, Tyler was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell while performing at a club in Swansea.
She launched her recording career in 1977 with the release of Lost in France before achieving international success later that year with It’s a Heartache, which reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Her global breakthrough came in 1983 with Total Eclipse of the Heart, a dramatic power ballad written by Jim Steinman. The song topped charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, making Tyler the first Welsh artist to achieve a number-one single in the US.
She later reunited with Steinman for Holding Out for a Hero, recorded for the soundtrack of the 1984 film Footloose. The song went on to become another of her signature hits and enjoyed renewed popularity after featuring in the 2004 animated film Shrek 2.
Tyler received multiple Grammy Awards nominations during her career and represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. In 2023, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.
Despite health challenges in recent months, Tyler continued recording music. In 2025, she released Together, a dance reinterpretation of Total Eclipse of the Heart produced by David Guetta and Hypaton.
Earlier this year, Total Eclipse of the Heart surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, more than four decades after its original release, underscoring the song’s enduring global appeal.
Tyler is survived by her husband, Robert Sullivan, whom she had been married to for more than 50 years.
