‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ Singer Bonnie Tyler Dies

Welsh vocalist Bonnie Tyler, whose signature husky sound propelled “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Holding Out for a Hero” into enduring ’80s hits, died July 8 at the age of 75, according to her family.

“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,” reads a message on the singer’s official web site. She was placed in an induced coma in May following emergency intestinal surgery.

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“Eclipse” became Tyler’s only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, spending four weeks atop the tally in 1983. The single’s success was enhanced by the popularity of its melodramatic music video, directed by Russell Mulcahy. The clip depicts Tyler roaming the halls of a posh boys’ school in a long white dress while the students – some scantily clad as gymnasts, some inexplicably dressed as ninjas – cavort around her, occasionally flashing creepy “bright eyes,” a reference to the song’s lyrics.

“Eclipse,” which was written and produced by longtime Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman, also scored Tyler a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

The track became her second of three top 40-charting hits. She first visited the upper reaches with “It’s a Heartache” in 1978, reaching No. 3, and then later notched a No. 34 hit with “Holding Out for a Hero” (another Steinman tune) in 1984 from the smash film Footloose.

Tyler was a frequent performer on the ’80s nostalgia circuit as her hits continued to find new life in films, TV shows and commercials. In 2013, she was the U.K.’s representative in the Eurovision song contest, and in 2017, she performed “Total Eclipse” on a cruise ship during an actual solar eclipse. The last of her 18 studio albums was 2021’s The Best Is Yet To Come.

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