FARO, PORTUGAL—On July 8, singer and songwriter, Bonnie Tyler passed away following emergency intestinal surgery. Reports indicate that the Welsh singer was initially rushed to a private hospital in May requiring immediate surgery for a burst appendix. Recovery was slow, requiring her to be placed in a medical coma as she healed. She awoke from the coma and was showing some improvement but later died. She was 71.
Tyler was best remembered most for some of her 70s-80s greatest hits, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and “It’s a Heartache.” On June 8, 1951, she was born Gaynor Hopkins to Glyndwr and Elsie Hopkins, Gaynor Hopkins, in Skewen, Wales-United Kingdom, but she was known as by her stage name, Bonnie Tyler. She is one of seven children and has been singing professionally since the age of 17.
Her father was disabled while fighting in World War II. She would tell her interviewers about her mother saying, “I’m sure a lot of my success is due to her words of advice. My mum was a wonderful mother. I remember she said to me; ‘Believe in yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.”
In 1973, Tyler married Robert Sullivan, a 1972 Olympic Judo competitor, and property developer. Tyler and Sullivan invested in multiple properties, many of which were in Portugal, where they lived.
They remained married, until her death, a total of 54 years. Tyler suffered a miscarriage when she was 39. The couple had no other children of their own, but many nieces and nephews they loved.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced. The family is asking for privacy while they mourn Tyler’s death.
