The Bonnie Tyler Swansea farewell drew thousands of mourners to the streets of the coastal suburb of Mumbles on Sunday, as the singer’s coffin was driven through her home city to the sound of Total Eclipse of the Heart. Tyler, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan, died on 8 July aged 75 at a hospital in Faro, Portugal, according to North Jersey, after spending weeks in intensive care.
The coffin was draped in the Welsh flag and accompanied by a framed photograph of the singer. Fans threw flowers onto the hearse as it moved down Newton Road, with many breaking into applause and tears as the procession passed.
Emergency surgery preceded her death
Tyler’s death followed a medical crisis that began months earlier. TODAY reported she underwent emergency surgery in May after suffering severe abdominal pain caused by a perforated bowel. She was placed in a medically induced coma following the procedure. Courier Journal reported she was brought out of the induced coma on 15 June, but was still considered to be very ill and placed in intensive care, where she remained until her death.
Her family had described the death as unexpected. Tributes followed from Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, among others.
A Swansea girl through and through
Those who lined the streets on Sunday spoke of a woman who remained rooted in her community long after global fame had arrived. Angela Powell, among the first to arrive, said: ‘She was lovely, just like a friend you’d known all of your life.’ Powell recalled that her mother used to cut the hair of Tyler’s husband Bobbie Sullivan, who would let her into the nightclubs he managed in Swansea without queuing. Her parents had met at one of them, The Townsend, where Tyler regularly performed.
‘My father is unwell so my mam is home looking after him and can’t be here, so I wanted to come on behalf of us all to thank her,’ Powell said. ‘I’ve met her a few times, in Marks and Spencer and on a flight to Portugal.’
Andrea Witts from Bryncoch and Maggie Phillips from Gorseinon said they both grew up with Tyler’s music. ‘Many years ago I worked in Skewen and taught her niece. The whole family were lovely,’ said Maggie. ‘I would often bump into her in local shops and restaurants and she was always lovely.’
Sabine Neumann and her son Enrico travelled from Berlin, Germany, to attend the tribute and Monday’s service. Enrico said his mother had been a Tyler fan and he had grown up listening to her music as a child. ‘It’s so special to be here with my mother,’ he said. ‘She’s been very emotional about sharing this opportunity with me. My mother has seen her live all across Germany, but I never got the chance to which is why this was even more special for me.’
Monika Macleod-Elliott from Basingstoke said: ‘I grew up with her music, but never was fortunate to see her live so coming here today was a way of saying goodbye and paying my respects.’
Career that crossed the Atlantic
Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins, grew up in a council house in Neath and was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in a club in Swansea. She released her first single Lost in France in 1977. It’s a Heartache, released the same year, reached number four on the UK singles chart and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Her biggest hit, Total Eclipse of the Heart, arrived in 1983, topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. In doing so she became the first Welsh person to score a number one hit in the United States. She received a Grammy nomination for the hit, and two further nominations for the album Faster Than the Speed of Night and the single Here She Comes.
Nine.com.au reported that Tyler was awarded an MBE for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II in 2023. She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan.
A funeral notice from William Pressdee Funeralcare, on behalf of Tyler’s family, described her as ‘a warm, generous artist whose music touched generations and continues to fill dance floors and karaoke booths around the world’.
The Bonnie Tyler Swansea farewell continues from midday on Monday at St Mary’s Church in Swansea. Her coffin will then travel to her hometown in Neath Port Talbot, passing through the village at around 13:20 BST before a private family service.
