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British singer Bonnie Tyler, known for her raspy voice and her hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart," has passed away at the age of 75, her family announced this Thursday.
She was admitted to a hospital in the Portuguese town of Faro in May, where she owned a home, to undergo intestinal surgery. She was subsequently placed in an induced coma.
"Bonnie passed away unexpectedly last night at a hospital in Portugal due to the illness for which she was being treated," the family stated in a message published on Facebook.
The singer, very famous in the 1980s, had just released a single, "Only Love," and had a tour of Europe planned for several months.
- Voz rasgada -
Her rock ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" remains one of the most famous love songs of all time. At the beginning of 2026, that is, 43 years after its release, it had surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.
"How could one imagine for a second that its success would be so huge, and that people who hadn't even been born yet would be singing it today in karaoke bars?" she commented to the Telegraph in 2025.
The singer, known for her voluminous hair and glamorous rock style, claimed she earned "almost nothing" from this track, of which she is not the author.
Gaynor Hopkins, as she was actually named, was born in 1951 in Neath, Wales. Her father worked in the coal mines and her mother cared for the couple's six children.
The young woman began singing in church and left school at age 16. While trying to make it in music, she worked in a shop.
She changed her name to Sherene Davis to avoid being confused with another Welsh singer, Mary Hopkin.
Talent scout Roger Bell discovered her in 1975 at a club.
Months later, she signed with RCA Records and changed her name once more, this time to Bonnie Tyler.
She then gained prominence with the single "Lost in France" (1976).
Shortly after, she underwent surgery to remove nodules on her vocal cords. Because she did not rest enough, her voice became raspy, which became her signature trademark.
"It's a Heartache," released the same year, was her first major global hit.
In the 1980s, she collaborated with American songwriter and producer Jim Steinman, who wrote "Total Eclipse of the Heart," a success that turned Bonnie Tyler into an international star at age 32.
- "Una vida normal" -
At the height of her fame, Bonnie Tyler continued to collect hits in 1984 with "Holding Out for a Hero," featured on the "Footloose" soundtrack, which went triple platinum. She was also nominated for three Grammy Awards.
The singer represented the United Kingdom in 2013 at Eurovision with "Believe in Me" with little success. She finished in 19th place.
This Tina Turner fan, known for her simplicity and Welsh accent, considered herself a "working-class girl."
"I have a very normal life and I don't have bodyguards: I'm not Mariah Carey!" she declared to the Times in 2025.
The artist had been married since 1973 to real estate developer Robert Sullivan, her childhood sweetheart.
Since the 1970s, the couple spent part of their time in the Algarve, Portugal.
She was rewarded for her services to music by Elizabeth II in 2022, shortly before the Queen's death. The following year, she received the distinction of Member of the British Empire (MBE).
[Publicidad]