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Bonnie Tyler recovering after being taken to hospital for surgery
07th May, 2026 06:07 AM
Singer Bonnie Tyler has been rushed to the hospital for emergency intestinal surgery.
The 74-year-old star is being treated in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home.
A spokesperson said: “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.”
Born Gaynor Hopkins in a Neath council house, the gravel-voiced singer became an became an international sensation with Total Eclipse of the Heart in 1983.
1 billion streams
Forty-three years on, the song cemented its place in history by passing the billion streams mark on Spotify.
But despite joining Taylor Swift, The Weekend and Eminem in the exclusive one billion club, Neath-born Tyler says that she’s made “about nothing” in revenue from the classic track.
As the platform’s most-streamed song by a Welsh artist, Tyler “never gets tired” of singing the iconic tune, despite the astronomical streaming numbers not making a dent in her bank account.
She grew up with a love for music before being discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in a Swansea club.
She released her first single, Lost in France, in 1977. But it was Total Eclipse of the Heart five years later which changed her life.
A four-minute radio version took the world by storm, with the ballad spending two weeks at UK number one, and four weeks in the US.
Grammy-nominated Tyler has had a string of other hits, including Holding out for a Hero.
She represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013, and a decade later was made an MBE for her services to music.
Now, 43 years on, it’s clear the best of all the years have not gone by, as Tyler shared her delight with fans at receiving a one billion streams plaque from Spotify.
The feat came as a surprise to the singer, who only found out after the streamer contacted her website to send her the “beautiful” disk.
“I’m really happy. When you think about it, there are only 8.3 billion people in the world.
“It’s quite an evergreen song – how many times have you heard it popping up in adverts and movies?
“People just love it.”
As one of the most iconic love songs of all time, the music video has already surpassed 1.2 billion views on YouTube.
But does she ever get a little bit tired listening to it?
“Never, I never get tired of singing it, I love it because everyone can’t wait to sing it.”
