Family, friends and fans of Bonnie Tyler have gathered at Swansea Minster for the Welsh singer’s funeral today, which saw the late star’s coffin enter the church to her own music after a spontaneous burst of applause from the crowds gathered.
The Total Eclipse Of The Heart star, whose real name was Gaynor Hopkins, died on July 8 at the age of 75.
The streets of Mumbles in Swansea, where Tyler lived and was well-known among locals, had also been packed with mourners on Saturday for the procession of her coffin to her home.
Those who knew and loved Tyler have now gathered again for a celebration of her life at Swansea Minster, which began at midday.
The funeral service, conducted by Reverend Canon Justin Davies, began after Tyler’s white coffin, adorned with white roses and lilies, was carried into the church to the soundtrack of her hit songs If I Sing You A Love Song and It’s A Heartache.
The hearse carrying Bonnie Tyler’s coffin was met with applause from the crowd when it arrived at Swansea Minster, 10 minutes before the service began.
Fans also shouted ‘goodbye’ as Tyler’s coffin, etched with symbols including a microphone and a treble clef, was carried inside.
Roger Bell, the talent scout who discovered the singer when she performed in a club in Swansea, paid tribute during the service to the star.
‘Gaynor was one of a kind. You always knew where you stood with her. She said it like it was. I’m sure there are a lot of us here that have experienced that,’ he said.
‘She was loved by millions worldwide, and has all the tributes, flowers, and cards from the Houses of Parliament, Prince and Princess of Wales, the Portuguese government, Cliff Richard, Rod Stewart, Suzi Quatro, and many, many more fans.
‘But here in Swansea, she was loved by Robert and the family as Gaynor and Auntie Gaynor. There was a warmth and sincerity about her that shone through, and she never said no to having a photo taken or giving an autograph to anyone who asked.
‘I think everyone here today has a story about meeting Gaynor, or Bonnie Tyler, and will treasure it.’
Welsh broadcaster Roy Noble, who befriended Bonnie Tyler after interviewing her, was also among the guests, calling it ‘a great privilege’ to be there but adding: ‘It’s very sad indeed, and we feel for Robert, her husband.
‘(She was) very down to earth and very much a family girl. She had a few more years left in her. She was 75 when she passed away, so it’s an awful, awful shame.’
Welsh musician Mal Pope, a longtime friend of Bonnie Tyler, said it had been an ‘emotional’ weekend leading up to the funeral on Monday.
‘She felt like a really local person and I think sometimes we forgot she was an international superstar.
‘We recorded together, we performed on stage together, she’d come on my TV and radio shows, she would always turn up to support me and never ever ask for anything in return.’
The order of service also lists Bridge Over Troubled Water, Only Men Aloud, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, Those Were The Days and Making Love Out Of Nothing as other songs set to be played during Tyler’s funeral.
Her family also asked that in lieu of flowers, people supported two charities of which she was a patron – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales and Cerebral Palsy Cymru.
In the order of the service, they wrote the following of Tyler: ‘She is remembered as a warm, generous artist whose music touched generations and continues to fill dance floors and karaoke booths around the world.’
They also said that Tyler’s legacy ‘lives on in the timeless songs that made her a legend’.
Tyler will then be taken on a final journey through her hometown of Skewen, near Neath, at around 1.20pm, before a private family committal and farewell service.
Swansea Council said the funeral procession will travel along Fabian Way to Ashleigh Terrace, through the village of Jersey Marine, Pen Y Heol, Burrows Road, Hen Hoel, New Road, Sidling Terrace, Park Avenue and Peniel Green Road.
Tyler died just months after she was placed in an induced coma in intensive care following emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal.
The singer achieved international fame in the 1980s when Total Eclipse Of The Heart shot to the top of the charts in the UK and the US.
It came from the album Faster Than The Speed Of Night, which was her only UK number one record.
Recognisable for her husky voice, Tyler released many other hits, including Holding Out For A Hero, It’s A Heartache and If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man).
She represented the UK in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, with the song Believe In Me, finishing in 19th place.
On Saturday, fans travelled from across the world to pay their respects to the singer as her coffin, draped in a Welsh flag, was returned to the Mumbles.
The emotional crowd burst into a rendition of Total Eclipse Of The Heart as the hearse passed by.
Many of those attending knew Tyler as a local, describing her as a ‘normal person who happened to be famous’.
Jan Roach said: ‘We know the family very well and it’s been a tough time for all of us, not just friends, family, but I think the whole of Mumbles.
‘She was so loved by many, many people, we’re so devastated, we’re still reeling from the loss of her.’
Chicago actress Catherine Zeta-Jones was among the stars who paid tribute to Tyler following her death, as well as singers Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams.