Bonnie Tyler’s unmistakable voice became one of the defining sounds of rock and pop, powering classics such as “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Holding Out for a Hero,” and “It’s a Heartache.”
According to the BBC, the Welsh singer died at the age of 75 after complications from an illness that had left her hospitalized in Portugal. While fans will remember her for her chart-topping hits, the raspy vocal style that made her famous was the unexpected result of a medical setback early in her career.
How a Vocal Cord Surgery Changed Bonnie Tyler’s Career Forever
Before becoming an international star, Tyler had a much different singing voice. In the spring of 1977, shortly after launching her recording career, she underwent surgery to remove nodules from her vocal cords. Doctors instructed her to avoid speaking for six weeks to give her voice time to heal properly.
Source: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images
The recovery did not go as planned. Frustrated during the healing process, Tyler let out a scream before her vocal cords had fully recovered. The strain permanently altered her voice, leaving it with the gravelly, husky quality that would later become her signature.
At first, the unexpected change left her fearing the worst. Instead of ending her career, however, the new vocal tone gave her a distinctive sound that set her apart from other singers of the era. It soon became one of the qualities audiences recognized instantly whenever one of her songs came on the radio.
That unmistakable voice helped turn “It’s a Heartache” into her first major international success before reaching even greater heights with “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in 1983, which became her biggest hit and one of the defining power ballads of the decade. She would later score another classic with “Holding Out for a Hero,” cementing a legacy built not only on memorable songs, but also on a voice unlike any other in popular music.
