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Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler has been placed in an induced coma by doctors in Portugal after she underwent emergency surgery in the country, the BBC reported on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the singer said she had been “put into an induced coma by her doctors to aid her recovery”.

He acknowledged that Tyler’s fans were wishing her well and asked for “privacy at this difficult time” on her behalf. He said her team will “issue a further statement when we are able to”.

Earlier, a post on her official Instagram page said the singer was “recuperating” after emergency intestinal surgery.

The 74-year-old star, best known for her 1983 mega-hit ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, was operated on at a hospital in Faro in southern Portugal, the post said.

Tyler shot to fame in the 1970s with hits including ‘Lost in France’ and ‘It’s a Heartache’. ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ later topped the charts in both Britain and the United States.

“We are very sorry to announce that Bonnie has been admitted to hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, for emergency intestinal surgery,” the Instagram post on Wednesday said.

“The surgery went well and she is now recuperating,” it added.

The Grammy-nominated singer, who was born Gaynor Hopkins, is due to tour Europe later this year to mark 50 years since the release of ‘Lost in France’ which was her breakthrough hit in 1976.

Other hits include ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ in 1984 which featured on the soundtrack to the huge US box office success Footloose.

In 2013, Tyler represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, with the song ‘Believe In Me’, finishing in 19th place.

She was recognised in 2022 by the late Queen Elizabeth II, who before her death awarded her an honour for her five-decade-long music career.

Cover photo: AFP