Bonnie Tyler, the singer most famous for “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” is recovering from unexpected surgery, according to a message shared on her website Wednesday, May 6.
“We are very sorry to announce that Bonnie has been admitted to hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, for emergency intestinal surgery,” the statement reads. “The surgery went well and she is now recuperating. We know that all of her family, friends, and fans will be concerned about this news and will be wishing her well for a full and swift recovery.”
In March, Tyler, 74, told Hello! that she was in good health, according to GBNews. “I’m fit enough at the moment, touch wood, and I’m really enjoying doing the shows,” she said. “I’m still rocking on that stage with my wonderful band, and if you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything.” Her only complaint at the time was of knee pain.
Tyler has tour dates scheduled in continental Europe beginning on May 22. The gigs run sporadically through December.
A rep for Tyler did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment on the status of her health or her tour dates.
The Welsh artist released two new singles earlier this year, “One Love” and “One World One Home,” both of which followed her hit collaboration with David Guetta and Hypaton, “Together.”
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Tyler’s recording career, as her debut single, “My! My! Honeycomb,” came out in 1976. Although it wasn’t a hit, she achieved fame within a year thanks to “It’s a Heartache,” which made reached Number Four in the U.K. and Number Three in the U.S.
Tyler’s biggest hit, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” arrived in 1983, claiming the Number One positions in the U.K. and U.S. Written by Jim Steinman, the seven-minute epic found her trading verses with Rory Dodd in an elaborate arrangement played by Rick Derringer and E Street Band members Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg, among others.
“[Jim] told me he had started writing the song for a prospective musical version of Nosferatu years before, but never finished it,” Tyler said in 2023. “We shot the video in a frightening gothic former asylum in Surrey. The guard dogs wouldn’t set foot in the rooms downstairs where they used to give people electric shock treatment.”
