00:00Bonnie Tyler, the legendary singer behind the global hit Total Eclipse of the Heart,
00:04has died at the age of 75.
00:06The Grammy-nominated singer died on July 8th at a hospital in Portugal after battling an illness.
00:12A spokesperson for the singer confirmed the news in a statement on July 9th,
00:16saying Tyler's family and team were heartbroken and asked for privacy as they deal with the tragedy.
00:21A cause of death was not immediately revealed.
00:24The musician, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan, has been seriously ill since May,
00:28when she underwent emergency intestinal surgery at a hospital in Faro, Portugal.
00:34After the operation, Tyler was placed in a medically-induced coma to aid her recovery.
00:38Her team later said she had been brought out of the coma,
00:41but remained very unwell in the intensive care unit.
00:45She stayed hospitalized for nearly a month until her death.
00:49Before her health declined, Tyler had shared in March that she was still enjoying performing
00:53despite dealing with some medical issues.
00:55She told Hello Magazine,
00:56I'm fit enough at the moment, touch wood, and I'm really enjoying doing the shows.
01:01Adding that she stayed active with daily Pilates and had successfully undergone knee procedures.
01:07Born in Skew in Wales on June 8th, 1951,
01:10Tyler began her music career as a backup singer before launching her solo career in the 1970s.
01:16She broke through with her 1977 debut album, The World Starts Tonight,
01:20which included hits like Lost in France and It's a Heartache.
01:24Tyler's signature raspy voice became one of her defining features
01:27after surgery to remove nodules from her vocal cords.
01:30She later recalled that her producers loved the unexpected change
01:33and helped make It's a Heartache her first major hit in America.
01:37Her career reached new heights in the 1980s
01:40when songwriter and producer Jim Steinman helped launch her into rock superstardom
01:44with Total Eclipse of the Heart.
01:46The song became her biggest hit and appeared on her 1983 album,
01:50Faster Than the Speed of Night, which earned a Grammy nomination.
01:54Tyler and Steinman also teamed up for another of her best-known songs,
01:57Holding Out for a Hero, which is featured on the Footloose soundtrack.
02:01Over a career spanning more than five decades,
02:04Tyler released 18 studio albums,
02:06collaborated with artists including Rod Stewart, Meatloaf,
02:09and Todd Rundgren, and continued recording music with her most recent album,
02:14The Best is Yet to Come, arriving in 2021.
02:17Bonnie Tyler is survived by her husband of 52 years, Robert Sullivan.
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