Farewell to Welsh songstress extraordinaire Bonnie Tyler

It was a sad day when Welsh songstress extraordinaire Bonnie Tyler passed away in Faro, Portugal at 75.

With a whiskey-soaked voice that sounded like it had been strained through Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s bedsheets, Tyler put the power into the power ballads of the late '70s and '80s that were her calling cards.

Tyler first cracked the worldwide charts with the 1977 release of her debut studio album, The World Starts Tonight, which featured two very clever singles, ‘Lost In France’ and ‘More Than A Lover’. She went on to achieve other monster hits, including ‘It’s A Heartache’ and ‘Total Eclipse Of the Heart’, both of which sold like hotcakes, achieving sales of more than 6 million units each. She was nominated for several Grammys and Brit Awards and in 2022, received an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her service to music.

Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins on 8 June 1951 in Skewen, Neath, Wales, to a father who was a coal miner and World War II veteran. Her mother was a traditional homemaker, raising Tyler and her five siblings in a modest four-bedroom council house that was always full of music. Tyler was weaned on musical greats such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

The first live act that Tyler saw was Frankie Miller, with whom she later recorded duets. She was an average student who left school at 16. Left or pushed, that is the question. She left with no qualifications and took a lowly job as a checkout chick. While attending the local Protestant Church, she blew the roof off the place with her brilliant rendition of ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’.

Tyler soon found regular work in the clubs and bars of Swansea, singing six nights a week before her big break in 1976, when her single ‘Lost In France’ broke into the UK top ten.

Tyler followed up with a monster hit, ‘It’s a Heartache’, in 1977.

What happened afterwards was an extraordinary career during which Tyler scored the first U.S. number one single by a Welsh performer, beating Tom Jones, Mary Hopkin and Shirley Bassey to the honour.

This happened in 1983 when Tyler's thrilling power ballad ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ knocked Billy Joel’s ‘Tell Her About It’ from the top spot. It was accompanied by perhaps one of the greatest ever music videos. Haunting and magnificent, the video was on high rotation on the cable music channel MTV while the song itself received very high radio exposure. Service staff sang along with it. Horse grooms strapped to it. Cleaners scrubbed to it. In later years, it became a karaoke classic.

“The first time I heard it, shivers up my spine,” was Tyler's description of the track, which was written by regular Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman.

The song stayed at number one for four weeks, selling a million copies and securing her a Grammy nomination.

Apart from her career, Bonnie had a very close and loving relationship with the love of her life, Robert Sullivan. She married the property developer and Olympic judo instructor in 1972. Sadly, the marriage was childless. Tyler miscarried at 39 and couldn’t have children after that. However, the couple prospered financially and wound up with lucrative properties in England, New Zealand and Portugal.

In May 2026, Tyler underwent emergency surgery in the Portuguese town of Faro for a perforated intestine. She was put in an induced coma and suffered cardiac arrest when doctors tried to pull her out of it. She died on 8 July 2026, after suffering weeks of ill health.

When news of Tyler’s death hit the media, the fine people of Wales were quick to claim their own.

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, a cousin of Tyler’s husband, said she was heartbroken to hear the news of the death of her dear friend. She described Tyler as “an extraordinary woman with vocals to match”.

Zeta-Jones added that Tyler was:

“...a one-of-a-kind artist who so easily could have been a comedian because she was one of the funniest people I ever met. Thank you, Bonnie, for the joy you brought many. Sleep tight, beautiful lady.”

Sir Cliff Richard, who sang a duet with Tyler called ‘Taking Control’, said:

“Bonnie’s infectious zest for life entertained so many around the world and to be a good friend to all, including me. It is shocking news to wake up to this morning and I send my love to her family at this very sad time.”

Sir Rod Stewart wrote on social media:

‘We shared similar styles of vocalising. She was a good pal, a true soul stirrer. I sing “It’s A Heartache” every night on tour. I’ll miss you, darling Bonnie.’

Perhaps the most touching tributes came from callers who got in touch with BBC Radio Wales to share their tributes and claim one of their own.

Here's some of what they've said:

Wynne in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, says he grew up on Bonnie Tyler’s music and “a disco in the '80s was not a disco without her blasting out with her unique and fantastic voice”.

Eileen in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, recalls the time her late husband John met Tyler on a train to Bridgend “many years ago”, describing her as “down to Earth”.

Michael, from Rhayader in Powys, also met Tyler and remembers presenting her with a bunch of roses as she signed a copy of her memoir, Straight from the Heart:

“It feels like a family member has passed away. She was one of us, not one of these superstars that wouldn’t even stop and look at you. She was just a pure Welsh girl from Swansea."

Gareth Pugh, also from Powys, first met the star in 2008: “She was grounded and natural. You couldn’t meet a nicer person.” He met her again at Hay Festival in 2024.

Floral tributes and whiskey have been left at Tyler's Welsh home, following news of the singer's death.

Several bunches of flowers, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a card are on the wall outside her house in Mumbles, Swansea.

Tyler was known to drink a shot of whiskey with the energy drink Red Bull to steady her nerves before going on stage, previously joking that “it gives me wings”.