Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler has been put into an ‘induced coma’ following emergency surgery, her representatives have confirmed.
The 74-year-old, best known for the 1983 tune Total Eclipse of the Heart, underwent an intestinal operation at a hospital in Faro, Portugal.
A statement on her website previously read: ‘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 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.’
Later tonight, her team issued an update, informing Page Six: ‘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.’
Her managers added: ‘We will issue a further statement when we are able to.’
Tyler, whose real name is Gaynor Sullivan, has been living in Portugal for several years, having been there when the first lockdown was announced.
She splits her time between the country and South Wales, deciding to dedicate more time to the Algarve after falling in love with it while recording an album there.
With regards to her health, the music icon has spoken openly about her issues in the past, the main one being her knees.
‘I have had problems with my knees; I didn’t have new knees, I had what they call “washouts” [a surgical knee procedure], which turned out to be very successful. So, hopefully that will last for a long time,’ she told Hello! in March.
Still, she insisted that she was in good health, adding: ‘I’m fit enough at the moment, touch wood, and I’m really enjoying doing the shows.
‘I’m still rocking on that stage with my wonderful band, and if you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything.’
Tyler went on to discuss her fitness regime, revealing that she had been doing ‘home Pilates’ for 20 minutes a day, as it’s ‘something [she] can do in [her] hotel rooms’ while travelling.
Last year, the songstress also insisted to The Mirror that she had no plans to retire, despite ‘slowing down’ in recent years.
She currently has tour dates scheduled in Europe, set to kick off on May 22 and run until December. It is unclear right now whether they will go ahead.
Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler started singing when she was 17, but rose to fame in 1977 with her record The World Starts Tonight, which included singles Lost in France and More Than a Lover.
The same year, her track It’s a Heartache topped the UK Singles Chart and reached number three in the US.
She went on to forge a hugely successful career, earning multiple Grammy nominations and receiving an MBE in 2022 for services to music.
The Holding Out for a Hero vocalist has long been keen to uplift others with her art, expressing last year that she wanted her latest single, Yes I Can, to inspire anyone who needs a bit of a ‘boost’.
She said: ‘The song is all about finding your strength and believing in yourself, and I’m hoping it’ll inspire anyone who needs that boost.
‘When I was a girl, I loved singing, and I knew it was what I wanted to do, but I didn’t have the confidence and didn’t feel I could.
‘And since then, I’ve conquered the world. It’s been a journey, and I’m still on that journey now.’
Bonnie Tyler’s reps have been contacted for comment.
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