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

Bonnie Tyler, the iconic ’80s singer known for anthems including “Holding Out for a Hero” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” is dead at 75. According to her official Facebook page, Tyler died “unexpectedly” of an “illness that she was being treated for.” She was in a hospital in Portugal, where she had a home. In May, Tyler was admitted to a hospital in Faro, Portugal, for emergency intestinal surgery and ended up being put into a medically induced coma by her doctors, per her Facebook page. On June 15, her official page confirmed that the doctors had taken her out of her coma but said that she “remains very unwell.” That was the last update before her death.

Tyler, a proud Welsh native, was born in 1951. She began her career at a local talent competition where she came in second place (losing to an accordionist). “The excitement made me want to do it again,” she said, per the BBC. “I really loved singing, and that competition started it all for me.” She began performing in clubs in South Wales and was eventually found by a talent scout and signed to RCA. Surgery to remove vocal nodules made her voice even huskier than it naturally was, and her 1976 single “Lost in France” ended up reaching No. 9 in the U.K. She had continued success in Europe throughout the ’70s, and “It’s a Heartache” even charted in the top 10 in America. After her RCA deal ended, she signed with CBS.

Aiming for a grittier, more “rock and roll” sound, she worked with producer Jim Steinman. In 1982, she released her signature album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, with its lead single, “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” A vocal showcase for Tyler, the song went to No. 1 in America and became one of the defining songs of the ’80s. At the time, Americans were shocked to see this one-hit wonder get another smash, with People writing that “Bonnie Tyler Resumes Her Singing Career.” In 1984, she recorded “Holding Out for a Hero” for the Footloose soundtrack. Throughout the ’80s, she had further successes with “If You Were a Woman (and I Was a Man)” and a 1986 greatest-hits album. By the end of the decade, she was cemented as a legend of the decade, but her career successes in the U.K. and U.S. did not continue into the ’90s. Her legacy of songs, however, remained intact. “I never get tired of singing ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’” she told the BBC in 2023. “I’m proud of all the songs,” she said.