Thousands of fans of Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler gathered in the streets of her village of Mumbles in Wales on Saturday. Mourners applauded as her coffin passed through the village ahead of her funeral scheduled for Monday. The singer, who achieved fame during the 1980s, died in July at the age of 75.
Crowds sang one of her most successful ballads, Total Eclipse of the Heart, as the hearse carried her coffin. Spectators threw flowers at the vehicle as the coffin wrapped in the Welsh flag moved through the crowd.
Hospitalization in Portugal
Tyler, recognized for her distinctive blonde hair and raspy vocal tone, died on July 8 in Portugal, where she owned a home. She was admitted to a hospital in Faro in early May for emergency bowel surgery. Doctors later placed her in a medically induced coma to assist her recovery.
Shortly before her hospitalization, the singer released a single titled Only Love. She had also been preparing to launch a European tour planned to last several months.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Tyler was born in 1951 in Skewen, located a short distance from Swansea. She began performing in 1975 at a nightclub in Swansea while still speaking with her original Welsh accent.
Her 1983 rock ballad Total Eclipse of the Heart remains her most famous work. Forty-three years after its release, the song has accumulated 1.2 billion streams on Spotify.
Swansea Cathedral Funeral Service
Her funeral will take place on Monday at Swansea Cathedral. The public funeral will be followed by a private service attended only by close family and friends.
