Bonnie Tyler Christmas single to be released as husband says he misses her every day

Published14 minutes ago

Bonnie Tyler's husband said it has "been a heartbreaking year" following her death and that he misses her "every single day".

Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins, died in July aged 75 after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal earlier this year.

The Total Eclipse of the Heart singer's last studio recording, Love, Light and Peace, will be released as a Christmas single on 13 November 2026.

Tyler's husband of 50 years, Robert Sullivan, said: "Gaynor never stopped working. She loved singing, she loved her fans, and she poured her whole heart into these songs."

Tyler was born in a Neath council house where she grew up with a love of music before being discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in a Swansea club.

After finding fame she was dubbed "the female Rod Stewart" for her husky vocals, and launched a career that spanned 50 years.

In August, fans travelled to Swansea to line the streets as a celebration of life service was held for Tyler at Swansea Minster.

"The only time she ever had off was during Covid, and even then she was still on Zoom doing interviews all the time," said Sullivan.

"Between live shows she would stop by David Mackay's studio to work on all these new songs.

"I know she would want people to hear them, and I am so proud of everything she left behind."

After her last record contract expired, Tyler began self-releasing songs, with Yes I Can released on New Year's Day 2025, and then Only Love in March 2026, shortly before she became unwell.

Love, Light and Peace was written by Chrissie Hammond and 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Terry Britten. It was produced by Britten and David Mackay, who both worked with Tyler at the start of her career.

Tyler first worked with Britten in 1977, when he played guitar on her debut album, The World Starts Tonight.

Nearly 50 years later, he returned as a writer and producer of the last song she recorded.

November would have seen Tyler in the middle of her Jubilee Tour across Europe, celebrating 50 years since her song Lost in France broke her into the UK Singles Chart in 1976.

Related topics

Wales

Swansea

Music

Neath

Christmas

Christmas music

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