Thousands of Bonnie Tyler fans line the streets as coffin taken to Swansea home
Fans of the singer placed flowers on the hearse carrying her coffin
ByOlivia Grist
BBC WalesReporting fromreporting from Mumbles
Legendary singer Bonnie Tyler has made a final journey to her Mumbles home, with thousands of emotional fans lining the streets to pay their respects.
The Total Eclipse of the Heart singer died “unexpectedly” on 8 July, aged 75, at a hospital in Portugal.
At the time, tributes poured in from a host of friends and stars including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart.
Despite Tyler’s career taking her all over the world, she has been described by those living in the coastal suburb of Mumbles as a “Swansea girl through and through”, and someone who “never forgot where she came from”.
People were invited to “pay their respects” by lining roads, as her coffin was driven through.
Thousands of fans gathered as Bonnie Tyler’s coffin made its way through Mumbles in Swansea
As the procession began, Total Eclipse of the Heart could be heard playing on the busy street, as crying fans broke into applause.
The coffin was draped in the Welsh flag and accompanied by a framed photograph of the singer, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan.
Fans threw flowers onto the hearse as it drove down Newton Road.
Thousands of fans followed the coffin as it made its way through the street, continuing to walk behind it until the end of the road.
Bonnie Tyler fans lined the streets as her coffin returned to her Swansea home
“She was lovely – just like a friend you’d known all of your life,” said Angela Powell who was among the first to arrive.
“My mam used to cut Gaynor’s husband Bobbie’s hair and so he would let her into the nightclubs [which he managed] in the town without having to queue.
“She actually met my father in one of them, The Townsend, where Bonnie would regularly perform.
The Total Eclipse of the Heart singer died “unexpectedly” on 8 July, aged 75, at a hospital in Portugal
“My father is unwell so my mam is home looking after him and can’t be here, so I wanted to come on behalf of us all to thank her.
“I’ve met her a few times – in Marks and Spencer and on a flight to Portugal.”
Andrea Witts from Bryncoch and Maggie Phillips from Gorseinon said they both grew up with Tyler’s music and wanted to honour her.
“Many years ago I worked in Skewen and taught her niece. The whole family were lovely. I would often bump into her in local shops and restaurants and was she was always lovely,” said Maggie.
The streets were filled with emotional fans
The celebration of Tyler’s life will continue from midday on Monday, at St Mary’s Church in Swansea.
She’ll then return to her hometown in Neath Port Talbot, travelling through the village at about 13:20 BST before a private family service.
A funeral notice from William Pressdee Funeralcare, on behalf of Tyler’s family, said she would be remembered as “a warm, generous artist whose music touched generations and continues to fill dance floors and karaoke booths around the world”.
Angela Powell described Tyler as “like a friend you’ve known all your life”
Sabine Neumann and her son Enrico arrived from Berlin, Germany, on Friday to attend the tribute and Monday’s service.
Enrico said his mother had also been a Tyler fan so he began listening to her music as a child.
“It’s so special to be here with my mother,” he said.
“She’s been very emotional about sharing this opportunity with me.
The mother and son had tickets to see Bonnie Tyler perform live in November this year in Berlin.
“My mother has seen her live all across Germany”, Enrico said, “but I never got the chance to which is why this was even more special for me”.
Monika Macleod-Elliott from Basingstoke said: “I grew up with her music, but never was fortunate to see her live so coming here today was a way of saying goodbye and paying my respects.
“I think it’s going to be emotional but we’re celebrating and she’d want us to be singing along and happy.”
Sabine Neumann and her son Enrico have arrived from Berlin to pay tribute
Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins, grew up in a council house in Neath, and is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan.
She was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in a club in Swansea, and released her first single Lost in France in 1977.
Total Eclipse of the Heart singer Bonnie Tyler’s funeral will be held on Monday
It’s a Heartache, her country-pop ballad released the same year, reached number four on the UK singles chart and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Her biggest hit, the rockier Total Eclipse of the Heart, arrived six years later in 1983 – this time topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
In doing so she became the first Welsh person to score a number one hit in the US.
She received a Grammy nomination for the hit, and two further nominations for the album Faster Than the Speed of Night and the single Here She Comes.
Foral tributes and messages have been placed outside Tyler’s homes
