Thousands of fans lined the streets of a Welsh seaside village to honor the late singer Bonnie Tyler after her coffin was brought home. The singer passed away in July at age 75 while hospitalized in Portugal. She had been admitted for emergency intestinal surgery in May and was placed in the hospital.
Bonnie Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Wales, a small town about seven miles outside Swansea, according to Billboard. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers in public housing that had no indoor toilet.
Her most famous song, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’ became a global hit in 1983 and has since been streamed more than a billion times. The track rose to number one in both Britain and the United States and gained renewed popularity during recent solar eclipses.
Other well-known songs by Tyler include ‘It’s a Heartache’ and ‘Holding Out For a Hero’ from the movie Footloose. Fans from across the United Kingdom and even from Austria gathered in Mumbles to watch the procession carrying her coffin, according to a report from the Daily Mirror.
The coffin was draped in a Welsh flag as it passed through the town. Carys Edwards, an 18-year-old fan, said Tyler’s music had been very important during her teenage years. She added that the singer’s death brought a deep sadness to many people in Wales.
Dozens waited outside Tyler’s former home and left floral tributes there. A celebration of her life is scheduled to take place at a church in Swansea on Monday (Aug. 17). After that, Tyler’s remains will be taken through her hometown of Skewen for the final journey.
Tyler represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 and earned three Grammy nominations during her career. She married Robert Sullivan, an Olympian, in 1973, and they remained together until her death.
Friends and family described her as generous and kind, with no airs or graces. Some said that Tyler had always returned to Wales to connect with her fans.
Her passing has left a strong emotional impact on the community and many who followed her music.
IMAGE: Albin Olsson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)