Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh singer whose husky vocals made “Total Eclipse of the Heart” a No. 1 international hit in 1983, died yesterday, weeks after emergency surgery to repair a perforated intestine. She was 75.
“Total Eclipse,” a Jim Steinman-penned power ballad originally intended for his yet-to-be-produced vampire musical, was such a success that many people think Tyler was a one-hit wonder, but her first success in the U.S. came six years earlier, when the country-flavored “It’s a Heartache” reached No. 3 on the Hot 100. The way her voice cracks helps sell the sincerity.
“Total Eclipse” came about after she saw Meat Loaf on British TV and sought out Steinman to produce her first album for a new record company. The bombastic tune was matched by a video whose production values – it’s on film, not videotape – stood out in MTV’s early days.
