TODAY’S PAPER | May 08, 2026 | EPAPER

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler 'recuperating' after emergency surgery in Portugal

Bonnie Tyler recuperates after emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal ahead of her Europe tour


AFP May 08, 2026 1 min read
Screengrab of Tyler shot to fame in the 1970s with hits including 'Lost in France' and 'It's a Hearthache'/AFP

Husky-voiced Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler was "recuperating" Thursday after emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal, a post on her official Instagram page said.

The 74-year-old star, best known for her 1983 mega-hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", was operated on at a hospital in Faro in southern Portugal, the post said.

Tyler shot to fame in the 1970s with hits including "Lost in France" and "It's a Heartache".

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" later topped the charts in both Britain and the United States. "We are very sorry to announce that Bonnie has been admitted to the hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, for emergency intestinal surgery," the Instagram post on Wednesday said.

"The surgery went well, and she is now recuperating," it added. The Grammy-nominated Tyler, who was born Gaynor Hopkins, is due to tour Europe later this year to mark 50 years since the release of "Lost in France", which was her breakthrough hit in 1976.

Other hits include "Holding Out For A Hero" in 1984, which featured on the soundtrack to the huge US box office success "Footloose". In 2013, Tyler represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden, with the song "Believe In Me", finishing in 19th place.

She was recognised in 2022 by the late Queen Elizabeth II, who, before her death, awarded her an honour for her five-decade-long music career.

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