Welsh singer and UK’s 2013 Eurovision artist Bonnie Tyler has sadly died in hospital in Portugal. Tyler’s family confirmed the sad news on the singer’s website this morning.
Remembering Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler, born Gaynor Sullivan in Wales, in 1951, has sadly died. The singer’s family posted on her website to confirm that Bonnie had passed away after an illness whilst in Portugal. The singer was most known for her raspy voice and achieved worldwide fame after the success of her songs “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, “Holding Out for a Hero” and “It’s a Heartache”. She also took to the Eurovision stage for the UK in Malmö in 2013 with “Believe in Me”.
The Welsh singer had been placed into an induced coma in May, after emergency surgery whilst in Portugal. Last month, Tyler’s spokesperson released a statement stating Bonnie was out of the coma, but remained very unwell and in intensive care.
A message posted by Bonnie’s family on the singer’s official website this morning reads:
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. We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.
Tyler found success in the UK, Europe and America during her long career. She had #1 singles and records in charts across Europe and America, releasing bilingual versions of her biggest hits to great success in France. Tyler was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II’s 2022 Birthday Honours list for services to music.
The BBC Eurovision team honoured the iconic singer on their social media with the following:
The BBC Eurovision team are greatly saddened to hear the news that Bonnie Tyler, who represented the UK at Eurovision in 2013 passed away last night. Bonnie was a music legend and we were truly honoured that such an iconic performer represented the UK. Behind the scenes she was humble, huge fun and very kind. She brought energy to the contest and was a joy to spend time with. We all have such fond memories. Our thoughts and best wishes go to Bonnie’s family
Just last year, Bonnie released “Together” with David Guetta, which was a club remix of her smash hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. She had released three songs in 2026, and earlier this year, “Total Eclipse of the Heart’ reached a billion streams on Spotify. The song is one of the best selling singles of all time. She was due to be touring Europe this summer and autumn.
Bonnie Tyler will be remembered as one of the great British singers of all time. She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan.
Rest in peace, Bonnie.
Bonnie Tyler’s Eurovision history
Bonnie Tyler was internally selected by the BBC to represent the UK at the Contest in Malmö, in 2013. She sang “Believe in Me” at the Contest, which was a track from her album “Rocks and Honey”. The song was written by Bonnie herself, with Desmond Child, Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. It was produced by long time collaborator of Tyler’s, David Huff. The #BelieveInBonnie social media campaign was started by the BBC and Graham Norton shortly before the 2013 contest began. Fans shared images online in support of the singer and her Eurovision entry.
At the close of voting in the Grand Final, Bonnie placed 19th with 23 points. In response to her results in the Contest, Bonnie said, “I did the best that I could do with a great song. I’m so glad and so happy that I did it because it was an incredible experience. It was like the Grammy awards all over again.”
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News source: Bonnie Tyler official website / BBC
Image credits: Albin Olsson
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