Total Eclipse Of The Heart singer Bonnie Tyler has been placed in a medically induced coma at a Portugal hospital, according to local news outlets there, with her condition “very guarded” following earlier reports of recovery.
The 74-year-old Tyler was been hospitalized in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, sometime around April 30 for emergency surgery for a perforated intestine. Her official website confirmed the hospitalization last night with a statement saying that the “surgery went well and she is now recuperating.”
According to media outlets including the BBC and Portuguese daily paper Correio da Manha, Tyler’s condition worsened today and she has been placed in a medically induced coma and is on a ventilator. Tyler’s representatives confirmed the reports to the outlets, stating that “Bonnie has been put into an induced coma by her Doctors to aid her recovery. We know that you all wish her well and ask for privacy at this difficult time please.”
The reps said they will issue a further statement “when we are able to.”
Correio da Manha reports that Tyler’s condition is “very guarded,” which indicates a serious or life-threatening illness or injury.
Deadline has not been able to confirm the Correio da Manha report.
Bonnie Tyler in 1983
Jean-Jacques Bernier/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Born Gaynor Hopkins in 1951 in Wales, the husky-voiced Tyler hit the U.S. charts in 1977 with her single “It’s a Heartache,” then reached the pinnacle of her career in 1983 with the Jim Steinman-penned smash “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” She and Steinman collaborated again the following year for the single “Holding Out for a Hero,” which became a hit after its including on the soundtrack for the 1984 film Footloose.
Tyler has continued recording and releasing new music over the decades since her MTV Era heyday, most recently 2021’s The Best Is Yet To Come. She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to music.
