Bonnie Tyler, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ Singer, Dies at 75

The gravelly voiced Welsh artist previously underwent emergency intestinal surgery and was placed in an induced coma.

Bonnie Tyler, the raspy-voiced Welsh singer known for the hit ‘80s songs “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Holding Out for a Hero,” has died at 75.

“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 on Tyler’s website states. “We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”

The news comes two months after the three-time Grammy nominee underwent emergency intestinal surgery in Faro, Portugal, in May. The singer’s manager previously announced that Tyler was “recuperating,” however, the next day, it was announced that the Welsh musician had been put placed in an “induced coma.”

“Bonnie has been put into an induced coma by her Doctors to aid her recovery. We know that you all wish her well and ask for privacy at this difficult time please,” Tyler’s manager told Page Six at the time. “We will issue a further statement when we are able to.”

Last month, her team noted that Tyler remained “very unwell and in intensive care in hospital in Portugal,” but her condition was “improving.” They were hopeful her tour would resume in the fall. “As such we are sorry to tell everyone that we will be cancelling, or postponing until next year where possible, all of our remaining shows this summer,” a statement read. “This will affect every current show until the end of August. At present we are still hopeful that our shows in the autumn will go ahead.”

Born Gaynor Sullivan on June 8, 1951, in Skewen, Neath, Wales, Tyler’s storied musical career began when she won second place at a local talent competition in 1969. Inspired by the contest, Tyler went on to play local pubs and clubs in South Wales, first with Bobby Wayne & The Dixies, and later with soul group Imagination. She officially broke onto the pop scene in 1976, when she released her first single, “My! My! Honeycomb.”

It wasn’t until she released “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in 1983 that Tyler found mainstream success; the single turned her into a household name thanks to her gravelly yet powerful vocals — which were enhanced thanks to a surgery to remove nodules on her vocal chords that the singer underwent in the spring of 1977.

The power ballad became Tyler’s first and only number one single. Her subsequent album, Faster Than The Speed of Night, produced by Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman, was the first album by a female artist to debut at number one in Britain, and heralded a new rock style for her.

“Total Eclipse of the Heart,” released in the U.K. on Feb. 11, 1983, became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with more than six million units sold. Faster Than the Speed of Night debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart, and reached No. 3 on the U.S. Cashbox chart and No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling more than one million copies in the United States. Tyler’s subsequent commercial success led to several award nominations, including two Grammys, two AMAs, and a BRIT Award.

Throughout her career, Tyler released 18 studio albums. She received a Goldene Europa in 1983 and was named Best Recording Artist at the Variety Club of Great Britain Awards the following year.

Tyler published an autobiography, Straight From the Heart, in 2023. That same year, the musician was granted an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for her services to music. “I never ever thought I would have something like this, my mother and father would be so proud,” she told the U.K.’s PA news agency at the time (per The Independent).

At the time, Tyler also spoke about the enduring popularity of her signature song when its Spotify streams spiked in conjunction with a total solar eclipse.

“Every time the eclipse comes,” she said, “everyone all over the world, they play ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ and I never get tired of singing it.”

Her most recent album, The Best Is Yet to Come, was released in 2021. Tyler also released two singles in 2026, “Only Love” on March 21 and “One World One Home” on April 24. She was due to perform in Malta on May 22 and in Germany on May 30, and was scheduled for several festival performances and solo shows in Europe over the summer and fall. Her last live performance before her death was at a London concert in March.

Tyler is survived by her husband, Robert Sullivan, whom she married July 1973. She also leaves behind three sisters and two brothers.