Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; 8 June 1951 – 8 July 2026), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, was a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, she came to prominence with the release of her debut studio album The World Starts Tonight (1977) and its singles "Lost in France" and "More Than a Lover". Her 1977 single "It's a Heartache" reached number four on the UK singles chart and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In the 1980s, Tyler ventured into rock music with songwriter and producer Jim Steinman. He wrote Tyler's biggest hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which sold over 13 million copies worldwide and was released as the lead single from her UK chart-topping album Faster Than the Speed of Night (1983). Steinman also wrote Tyler's other major 1980s hit, "Holding Out for a Hero". Her other successful singles during this period included "Here She Comes" from the 1984 soundtrack to Metropolis and "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)", written by Desmond Child and produced by Steinman. She had success in mainland Europe during the 1990s with Dieter Bohlen, who wrote and produced her hit "Bitterblue". In 2003, Tyler re-recorded "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with singer Kareen Antonn; their bilingual duet, titled "Si demain... (Turn Around)", topping the French charts.
Tyler released Rocks and Honey in 2013, featuring the single "Believe in Me", which she performed while representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. After reuniting with the producer David Mackay, she released Between the Earth and the Stars (2019) and The Best Is Yet to Come (2021).
Tyler's work earned her three Grammy Award nominations and three Brit Award nominations (including twice for British Female Solo Artist), among other accolades. In 2022, she was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to music. Her singles "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "It's a Heartache" have estimated sales of over 6 million units each, and are among the best-selling singles of all time.
Gaynor Hopkins was born on 8 June 1951, in Skewen, Neath, Wales. Her father, Glyndwr Hopkins, was a coal miner and World War II serviceman, and her mother, Elsie Hopkins (née Lewis), was a housewife. She grew up in a four-bedroom council house with three sisters and two brothers (one of her sisters sang backing vocals on a song Tyler wrote with her manager and other writers). She was exposed to a variety of singers and genres through her siblings including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and the Beatles. Frankie Miller was the first live act that Tyler saw, and she later recorded duets with him. Hopkins attended Rhydhir Comprehensive School in Neath, leaving at 16 with no qualifications, and began working in a grocery shop. She and her family were deeply religious Protestant Christians. Her first public performance was in a chapel as a child, singing the Anglican hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful".
In April 1969, Hopkins was entered into a local talent competition by her aunt and came second to an accordionist. Inspired to pursue a singing career, she worked as a backing singer for Bobby Wayne & the Dixies before forming her own band, Imagination. Around that time, she changed her name to Sherene Davis to avoid confusion with Welsh folk singer Mary Hopkin.
1975–1978: The World Starts Tonight and Natural Force
In 1975, Davis was spotted singing with her band in the Townsman Club in Swansea, Wales, by talent scout Roger Bell, who invited her to London to record a demo track. After several months, she received a phone call from RCA Records offering her a recording contract. They recommended that she change her name again. After compiling a list of surnames and first names from a newspaper, Davis chose the name "Bonnie Tyler".
Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe became her managers, songwriters, and producers. "My! My! Honeycomb" was released as her debut single in April 1976 but did not chart. In September 1976, as part of a promotional campaign for Tyler's next single, "Lost in France", RCA allocated £4,000 for a strategic initiative that involved sending 30 music journalists and radio DJs to Le Touquet, France where they met Tyler over a four-course meal. "Lost in France" peaked at No. 9 in the UK and led to Tyler's first appearance on Top of the Pops. "More Than a Lover" followed in January 1977. Due to the perceived sexual nature of its lyrics, it was banned from the new British children's TV series, Get It Together. Though surprised, Tyler said she was grateful for the "extra publicity". It peaked at No. 27 in the UK.
Tyler's debut album, The World Starts Tonight, was released in February 1977. To promote it, she embarked on her first UK tour as a guest artist with Gene Pitney. The album failed to chart in the UK, but reached No. 2 in Sweden. In spring 1977, Tyler underwent surgery to remove vocal-cord nodules and was advised by her doctor to rest her voice for six weeks. She screamed in frustration one day, resulting in a permanent raspy tone.
In July 1977, Tyler released her fourth single, "Heaven", which peaked at no. 24 in Germany. She attributed its underwhelming performance elsewhere to the death of Elvis Presley in August 1977, after which RCA redirected its focus to reissuing Presley's back catalogue. "It's a Heartache" followed in November 1977 and became one of Tyler's most successful singles, peaking at No. 4 in the UK and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Here Am I" was released in April 1978 and peaked at No. 4 in Norway. David Mackay parted ways with Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe in 1978, and Gordon Mills briefly took over as her manager. Mills organised her first tour of the United States in July 1978, including several nights at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles supporting Tom Jones. Tyler's second studio album, Natural Force, was released in May 1978. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with sales of over half a million copies.
1979–1981: Diamond Cut and Goodbye to the Island
Scott and Wolfe produced Tyler's third album, Diamond Cut, with Robin Geoffrey Cable. Released in February 1979, it was a Top 20 record in Finland, Norway, and Sweden, but only reached No. 145 in the US. Tyler felt that RCA was pushing her to record more country-oriented music, which frustrated her. The album yielded one major hit, "My Guns Are Loaded", which peaked at No. 10 on the Canadian AC chart.
In the summer of 1979, Tyler had another UK Top 40 hit with "(The World Is Full of) Married Men". She recorded it for a film adaptation of Jackie Collins' novel of the same name, and she performed the song during the film's closing titles. In November 1979, Tyler represented the UK at the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Japan. She won the Grand Prix International award for her performance of "Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean", written by Scott and Wolfe. They co-produced her fourth album, Goodbye to the Island, with Hugh Murphy. Released in 1981, it only charted in Norway. RCA invited her to extend her contract for another five years, but she declined, expressing disillusionment with her artistic image and noting a scarcity of performance opportunities in the aftermath of several unsuccessful singles.
After her contract with RCA expired, Tyler signed with CBS/Columbia. A&R executive Muff Winwood asked her to scout a new producer. She considered Phil Collins, Jeff Lynne and Alan Tarney, but Jim Steinman was her first choice. "I'm a huge fan of his records, especially his solo album, and when my manager and I were discussing my comeback, we both agreed that I had to sound the best or nobody would take me seriously." Steinman initially declined, but reconsidered after Tyler sent him demos of the rock material she hoped to record.
After their initial meeting, Tyler returned to Steinman's New York apartment a few weeks later, where she performed "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with Rory Dodd, a rock singer from Ontario, Canada. Steinman said that the song is "a Wagnerian-like onslaught of sound and emotion", and a "showpiece" for Tyler's voice. Her fifth album was partially recorded at the Power Station in New York, with members of the E Street Band, Rick Derringer on guitar, Dodd and Eric Troyer on backing vocals, and Steinman as producer.