Bonnie Tyler’s close friend has shared a worrying update on the singer’s condition after she was rushed to hospital in Portugal and placed into an induced coma following emergency surgery.
The 74-year-old music legend, best known for Total Eclipse of the Heart, underwent urgent intestinal surgery after suffering a burst appendix. She is now being treated in intensive care as doctors continue to manage a serious infection.
Her friend Liberto, who has known Bonnie for 40 years and whose daughter is her goddaughter, said he has been checking for updates every day but has not been able to see her in hospital. He told Good Morning Britain presenter Amelia Beckett: “I could not see her because she is intensive care and we are praying to get better news. The doctors are positive with the situation, but so far, it’s not that good.”
According to Liberto, Bonnie first began feeling unwell during a concert in London and later saw a doctor for tests, but nothing was detected at the time. She then travelled to the Algarve, where her condition worsened dramatically.
He previously explained: “She decided to travel to the Algarve, where she began to feel severe abdominal pain. Two days later, she went to a private hospital, which urgently transferred her to the hospital in Faro because her appendix had burst and she needed emergency surgery.”
Reports later claimed the Welsh star had to be resuscitated after going into cardiac arrest when doctors attempted to bring her round from the coma.
Bonnie’s husband, Robert Sullivan, is said to have been by her bedside every day, only returning home at night to sleep. Liberto added that Robert was deeply grateful to the medical team in Faro and believed that “if Bonnie had stayed in the United Kingdom she would no longer be here.”
A spokesperson for the singer has asked fans for privacy, saying: “We know that you all wish her well and ask for privacy at this difficult time please. We will issue a further statement when we are able to.”
Bonnie had been due to begin a 30-date tour later this month, including a scheduled Cardiff show in December.
