Bonnie Tyler, Power Balladeer Behind 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' Dies at 75

July 9, 2026

Sadly, Bonnie Tyler’s hard-fought battle to achieve wellness again after a perforated intestine led to emergency surgery and a heart attack came to a sudden end Wednesday.

The power balladeer, who had been in an induced coma for a month before waking up in June, died unexpectedly from complications of her protracted illness.

Her team announced on Facebook Thursday:

“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.”

She had lived in Portugal since the ‘80s with her husband of 53 years, Robert Sullivan, who survives her.

Born in Wales, she tasted chart success with the countrified smash “It’s a Heartache” in 1977. Her raspy vocal became her signature.

Years later, she veered decisively into rock, collaborating with Jim Steinman. Her Faster The Speed of Night (1983) album spawned “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” a month-long no. 1 hit that became the sixth-biggest hit of the year.

With its emo video (which boasts 1.3B views on YouTube), in which Tyler interacts with angel-coded boys’ school students with glowing eyes, the song remains one of the most iconic of that decade.

Soon after a minor hit with “Take Me Back” (1983) and a track on the Metropolis soundtrack with Giorgio Moroder, “Here She Comes” (1984), she hit the Top 40 again with “Holding Out for a Hero” (1984) from Footloose.

Though that song was a minor hit on the charts, it has grown in popularity ever since, never really going out of style.

None of Tyler’s other singles achieved such indelible status, but she remained an active performer, releasing 18 studio albums through 2021.

In 2022, she was awarded an MBE to go with her three Grammy nominations.

Indeed, Tyler had seemed indefatigable, touring and doing cruises and partying with her friends in her beloved Portugal, all the more reason her health turn seemed to sudden and shocking.

Though she never had children, she spoke emotionally of a miscarriage at 39, and also endured scandal when her husband was alleged to have conducted an affair with one of her fans.

Tyler forgave him and they remained devoted to the end.⚡️