A look back at Bonnie Tyler's career — and final months fighting for her life

Bonnie Tyler, the legendary singer behind the global hit Total Eclipse of the Heart, has died at the age of 75. The Grammy-nominated singer died on July 8th at a hospital in Portugal after battling an illness. A spokesperson for the singer confirmed the news in a statement on July 9th, saying Tyler's family and team were heartbroken and asked for privacy as they deal with the tragedy. A cause of death was not immediately revealed. The musician, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan, has been seriously ill since May, when she underwent emergency intestinal surgery at a hospital in Faro, Portugal. After the operation, Tyler was placed in a medically-induced coma to aid her recovery. Her team later said she had been brought out of the coma but remained very unwell in the intensive care unit. She stayed hospitalized for nearly a month until her death. Before her health declined, Tyler had shared in March that she was still enjoying performing despite dealing with some medical issues. She told Hello! Magazine, I'm fit enough at the moment, touch wood, and I'm really enjoying doing the shows," adding that she stayed active with daily Pilates and had successfully undergone knee procedures. Born in Skewin, Wales on June 8th, 1951, Tyler began her music career as a backup singer before launching her solo career in the 1970s. She broke through with her 1977 debut album, The World Starts Tonight, which included hits like Lost in France and It's a Heartache. Tyler's signature raspy voice became one of her defining features after surgery to remove nodules from her vocal cords. She later recalled that her producers loved the unexpected change and helped make It's a Heartache her first major hit in America. Her career reached new heights in the 1980s when songwriter and producer Jim Steinman helped launch her into rock superstardom with Total Eclipse of the Heart. The song became her biggest hit and appeared on her 1983 album Faster Than the Speed of Night, which earned a Grammy nomination. Tyler and Steinman also teamed up for another of her best-known songs, Holding Out for a Hero, which is featured on the Footloose soundtrack. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Tyler released 18 studio albums, collaborated with artists including Rod Stewart, Meatloaf, and Todd Rundgren, and continued recording music with her most recent album, The Best Is Yet to Come, arriving in 2021. Bonnie Tyler is survived by her husband of 52 years, Robert Sullivan.