Bonnie Tyler, who represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest, has passed away at the age of 75.

In May, Bonnie Tyler was rushed to a hospital in Faro, Portugal, for emergency intestinal surgery and placed in an induced coma to aid her recovery. In an update last month, a spokesperson said she was out of a coma but remained very unwell in intensive care. At the time, they said her condition was improving and doctors were “confident” she would recover – although progress was “slow”.

Bonnie Tyler’s best-known song was undoubtedly Total Eclipse of the Heart – an overblown rock opera that burns with an almost religious zeal. It topped the charts in the US and the UK, as well as Ireland, Australia and Zimbabwe, and has been covered in both Spanish (Eclipse Total del Amor) and Italian (Eclissi del cuore). But it almost never happened. Speaking of Total Eclipse of the Heart, the song passed a huge milestone earlier this year when it was streamed for the one billionth time on Spotify.

Speaking to both the Telegraph and Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2, Bonnie Tyler wasn’t keen on participating at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, in Malmö. Bonnie Tyler had the following to say:

“It’s a bit political but let’s be realistic, 120 million people watch the Eurovision, I’ve got a fantastic new album coming out, somebody at the BBC likes it… and I’m going to say no?

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, but I had a lovely time. If you’re going for it, go for it.”

In Malmö, at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, Bonnie Tyler represented the United Kingdom with “Believe in MeBelieve in Me”, finishing in 19th place, with 23 points. You can watch Bonnie Tyler’s Contest performance of “Believe in Me” below:

A statement on Bonnie Tyler’s website, had the following to say:

“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for.

We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”

Everybody here at Eurovision Ireland would like to pass on their condolences to Bonnie Tyler’s family and friends.

Let us know what you think about the United Kingdom and the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

The Eurovision Community, which Eurovision Ireland are a part of, celebrates diversity through music. Please keep your comments respectful. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, body-shaming or any other derogatory or hostile language.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: BBC & YouTube/EBU