Bonnie Tyler’s Biggest Moments Following News The Star Has Died

The music world is in mourning following the death of musician Bonnie Tyler at the age of 75.

Bonnie died on Wednesday evening, months after being rushed to hospital near her home in Portugal for emergency surgery.

The singer’s team issued a statement on Thursday morning confirming: “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.”

Over the course of her hugely successful music career, Bonnie became known for her powerful stage presence, her distinctive singing voice and, of course, major hits including Total Eclipse Of The Heart, It’s A Heartache and Holding Out For A Hero.

To celebrate her life, we’re looking back at some of the key moments in Bonnie’s career…

Born Gaynor Hopkins in 1951, the Welsh singer adopted the stage name Bonnie Tyler early on in her music career, which is what she released her first album The World Starts Tonight under in 1977.

Lead single Lost In France was a top 10 hit in the UK, while later single It’s A Heartache fared even better, peaking at number four, and remaining one of her signature tunes.

It’s well-documented that Total Eclipse Of The Heart was originally penned by Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman for a scrapped musical based on the film Nosferatu.

Bonnie recorded the song in 1982, and it was released the following year, winning huge acclaim and giving the star her first number one in the UK.

To this day, it’s her most popular musical offering, going two-times platinum on her home turf.

After its success in the UK, Total Eclipse Of The Heart went on to take the rest of the world by storm.

As well as topping the charts in the US, it earned Bonnie one of three Grammy nominations, not to mention a slot performing Total Eclipse Of The Heart during the ceremony, and its music video now holds a whopping one billion views on YouTube.

Off the back of Total Eclipse Of The Heart’s success, Bonnie had another hit on her hands when she unveiled Holding Out For A Hero, which peaked at number two in the UK and also charted across the pond.

Its global success was thanks in no small part to its positioning in the film Flashdance – although many of us know it from a completely different movie altogether, as it was famously covered by Jennifer Saunders in the animated classic Shrek 2.

Wings – or Celebrate, as it was known in the UK – was Bonnie Tyler’s 15th album, released in the mid-2000s.

As well as 10 new tracks co-written by Bonnie herself, the release featured new versions of her songs It’s A Heartache and Total Eclipse Of The Heart, as well as a duet with fellow powerhouse vocalist Lorraine Crosby, I’ll Stand By You.

After recording her album Rocks And Honey in the 2010s, the BBC picked one of its songs, Believe In Me, to represent the UK at Eurovision that year.

Initially, Bonnie had mixed feelings about going to the contest, but reasoned it would be “great publicity” for the album she was so proud of.

Speaking to HuffPost UK before the live final in Malmö, Bonnie claimed: “As long as I’ll be happy with my performance when I come off that stage, and I don’t fluff up or fall over, I won’t mind at all what the scores are.”

In the end, she actually fared quite well, especially for a UK act at Eurovision, finishing in 19th place of 26 competitors.

She received her honour from Prince William, saying at the time: “I am truly honoured to be awarded an MBE and especially so in Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, which makes this even more special.”

“This honour just goes to show that anyone from any background can become a success, and be recognised by our wonderful country, if they put their minds and efforts into what they do,” she enthused.

Prior to her death, Bonnie had been due to tour Europe later this year, to mark 50 years since the release of her 1976 breakthrough hit Lost In France.

Her final album, The Best Is Yet To Come, was released in 2021, earning positive reviews and featuring both covers and original songs.