Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Family, friends and fans of Bonnie Tyler are gathering for the Welsh singer’s funeral.
The Total Eclipse Of The Heart star, whose real name was Gaynor Hopkins, died in July at the age of 75.
The streets of Mumbles in Swansea, where Tyler lived and was well-known among locals, were packed with mourners on Saturday for the procession of her coffin to her home.
Those who knew and loved Tyler will gather again for a celebration of her life at Swansea Minster on Monday.
The funeral service will be conducted by Reverend Canon Justin Davies, while the entry music will be two of Tyler’s songs – If I Sing You A Love Song and It’s A Heartache.
Roger Bell, the talent scout who discovered the performer when she was performing in a club in Swansea, will share a tribute at the service, as will Tyler’s long-time manager Matthew Davis.
The order of service also lists Bridge Over Troubled Water, Only Men Aloud, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, Those Were The Days and Making Love Out Of Nothing as other songs set to be played during Tyler’s funeral.
Her family also asked that in lieu of flowers, people support two charities of which she was a patron – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales and Cerebral Palsy Cymru.
“She is remembered as a warm, generous artist whose music touched generations and continues to fill dance floors and karaoke booths around the world,” the order of the service said.
Tyler’s legacy “lives on in the timeless songs that made her a legend”.
Entry to the church will be for family, friends and invited guests only, but fans wishing to pay their respects will be able to watch the service on a large screen in nearby St David’s Square.
Tyler will then be taken on a final journey through her hometown of Skewen, near Neath, before a private family farewell service.
Tyler died just months after she was placed in an induced coma in intensive care following emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal.
The singer achieved international fame in the 1980s when Total Eclipse Of The Heart shot to the top of the charts in the UK and the US.
It came from the album Faster Than The Speed Of Night, which was her only UK number one record.
Recognisable for her husky voice, Tyler released many other hits, including Holding Out For A Hero, It’s A Heartache and If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man).
She represented the UK in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, with the song Believe In Me, finishing in 19th place.
On Saturday, fans travelled from across the world to pay their respects to the singer as her coffin, draped in a Welsh flag, was returned to the Mumbles.
The emotional crowd burst into a rendition of Total Eclipse Of The Heart as the hearse passed by.
Many of those attending knew Tyler as a local, describing her as a “normal person who happened to be famous”.
Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones was among the stars who paid tribute to Tyler following her death, as well as singers Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams.
