HUNDREDS GATHER IN WALES TO BID FAREWELL TO LATE SINGER BONNIE TYLER AS COFFIN RETURNS HOME. (PHOTO).

Hundreds gather in Wales to bid farewell to late singer Bonnie Tyler as coffin returns home

Hundreds of fans gathered along the streets of a seaside Welsh village on Saturday to say goodbye to singer Bonnie Tyler as her coffin was returned to her homeland.

The Grammy-nominated Welsh star, best known for her iconic 1983 hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” died last month at a hospital in Portugal at age 75. Tyler had been hospitalized in May in Faro, where she maintained a home, after undergoing emergency surgery for an intestinal condition.

Residents and fans from across the United Kingdom and beyond gathered in Mumbles, near Swansea, as a hearse carrying Tyler’s coffin passed through the village. Her coffin was covered with a Welsh flag, while dozens of people waited outside her former home or placed flowers and other tributes nearby.

Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins, was raised in Skewen, Wales, as the daughter of a coal miner. She grew up in public housing with three sisters and two brothers before embarking on a music career that would make her an international star.

She received three Grammy nominations and represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013, finishing 19th. In 2022, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to music.

“Total Eclipse of the Heart” became a worldwide sensation, reaching No. 1 in both Britain and the United States. The song has accumulated more than 1 billion streams and experienced renewed attention during solar eclipses in 2017, 2024 and again this week.

Tyler was also celebrated for hits including “It’s a Heartache” and “Holding Out For a Hero,” which appeared on the soundtrack of the film “Footloose.”

A private celebration of Tyler’s life for family and friends is scheduled for Monday at a church in Swansea. Her final journey will then take her through Skewen, the hometown where her story began.