Bonnie Tyler has died.
The Welsh singer — who was best known for hits such as Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero — passed away at the age of 75 on Wednesday (July 8) night, weeks after she was placed into an induced coma following emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal.
A message posted on Bonnie’s website read: “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.
“We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”
Bonnie was placed into an induced coma in May, but a few weeks ago, it was revealed she had woken up, though she remained “seriously ill”.
Her representative said: “Bonnie is no longer in a coma, but remains seriously ill.
“Although her condition is improving, the recovery process is slow.”
At the time, it was reported she was expected to make a full recovery.
Bonnie had surgery on May 6, and it was initially reported to have gone well.
A statement on her website read at the time: “We are very sorry to announce that Bonnie has been admitted to hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, for emergency intestinal surgery. The surgery went well, and she is now recuperating.
“We know that all of her family, friends, and fans will be concerned about this news and will be wishing her well for a full and swift recovery.”
But the following day, it was confirmed she had been put into a coma by doctors to “aid her recovery”.
Bonnie, whose real name was Gaynor Hopkins, was discovered by a talent scout at a club in Swansea and released her first single, Lost in France, in 1977.
Her first major hit was It’s A Heartache, released the same year and going to number four on the UK singles chart and three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Her biggest hit was Total Eclipse of the Heart, which topped the chart on both sides of the Atlantic in 1983 and earned her a Grammy nomination.
Last year, she teamed up with producers David Guetta and Hypaton for a club version of Total Eclipse of the Heart called Together, and earlier this year, the original version passed a billion streams on Spotify.
She said at the time: “I’m really happy, when you think about it, there’s only 8.3 billion people in the world.”
The Here She Comes hitmaker represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013, coming in 19th place, and received an MBE for services to music in 2023.
Bonnie is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan.
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