Bonnie Tyler, the iconic Welsh singer famous for “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”, remains in a serious but stable condition following emergency intestinal surgery last week, her spokesman has confirmed. The 74-year-old was placed in an induced coma to aid her recovery after being rushed to a hospital near her home in Faro, Portugal.
On Tuesday, a representative for the Grammy-nominated star stated: “As of this morning, Bonnie remains seriously ill but stable in hospital in Faro, however her doctors are still positive that she will make a full recovery.” The family has also expressed distress over “lurid and untrue rumours” circulating, appealing for “privacy and decency at this difficult time”.
News of her surgery first emerged via an Instagram post last Wednesday.
The singer is scheduled to embark on a European tour later this year, marking 50 years since her 1976 breakthrough hit “Lost In France”. Performances are planned for Malta and Germany this month, with further dates across the UK, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, and Romania.
Tyler’s friend Liberto Mealha, a businessman based in the Algarve, has described the weeks leading up to her current condition, with the 74-year-old singer first complaining of feeling unwell while playing a gig in London in March.
“She started feeling unwell during a concert in London and went to a doctor for tests, but they didn’t detect anything there,” Mr Mealha told The Sun. “She decided to travel to the Algarve, where she began to feel severe abdominal pain.”
He continued: “Two days later, she went to a private hospital, which urgently transferred her to the hospital in Faro because her appendix had burst and she needed emergency surgery.”
Mr Mealha said that Tyler is currently being supported at her hospital bedside by her husband, Robert Sullivan, a property developer she married in 1973. He added that Mr Sullivan does not believe his wife would still be alive if she had remained in the UK.
“He’s very grateful to the doctors and nurses at the Faro hospital and believes that if Bonnie had stayed in the United Kingdom she would no longer be here,” he said.
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Tyler, whose birth name is Gaynor Hopkins, achieved global fame in the 1980s with her UK No 1 single “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”. Her extensive catalogue includes other hits such as “Holding Out For A Hero” and “It’s A Heartache”.
Tyler was recognised for her contributions to music with an MBE in 2023.