Bonnie Tyler’s team has confirmed that the singer remains “seriously ill but stable” in hospital in Faro, as her family hit out at what it described as “lurid and untrue rumours” circulating in the media.
The statement, posted to Tyler’s official Facebook page on Tuesday, said her doctors remained positive that she would make a full recovery, but appealed to the media to stop speculating and to respect the family’s privacy.
“Bonnie’s family are very disappointed at the many lurid and untrue rumours now circulating in the media,” the statement read. “When there is any further news of Bonnie’s condition then we will issue another statement but ask that the media cease to speculate or publish wild rumours, which simply serve to upset her family, friends, and many fans, and ask again for privacy and decency at this difficult time.”
The statement also made clear that Liberto Mealha — who appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday — “does not represent them in any way whatsoever and is not in contact with them regarding Bonnie.” The family said he had no authority to speak on their behalf and that any further updates would come directly from them.
(Image: ITV / GMB)
Mealha, who has described himself as a long-term friend of Tyler’s and says his daughter has the singer as her godmother, told Good Morning Britain that Tyler had suffered a cardiac arrest when doctors attempted to bring her out of the induced coma.
He said he had been unable to see her because she was in intensive care. “We are praying for better news. The doctors are positive with the situation, but so far it’s not that good,” he said. Given the family’s direct challenge to his account, those claims should be treated with caution.
Tyler was placed into an induced coma last week at a hospital in Faro after her condition worsened following emergency intestinal surgery. Her team had previously said she was “recuperating well” following the operation before her condition deteriorated again.
Fans from across south Wales and beyond sent their well wishes to the 74-year-old after news of her hospitalisation broke — a reflection of the enduring affection for the Skewen-born singer across the region.
According to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã, Tyler will remain in the induced coma in the intensive care unit at Faro Hospital until medics manage to control a serious infection caused by a perforated intestine.
The sequence of events that led to her hospitalisation began during a concert in London, when Tyler started feeling unwell. She went to see a doctor for tests but nothing was detected at that point. She then travelled to the Algarve, where she began suffering severe abdominal pain.
Two days later she was admitted to a private hospital, which transferred her urgently to Faro Hospital after her appendix was found to have burst. She underwent emergency surgery before being placed in an induced coma to aid her recovery.
The health scare has forced Tyler to step back from a busy touring schedule. She had been due to perform at the SummerLUST Music Festival in Malta on 22 May and in Wiesmoor, Germany, on 30 May, as part of a run of more than two dozen shows across Europe in 2026.
Born in Skewen in Neath Port Talbot, Tyler splits her time between south Wales and her home in Faro, where she has lived for many years after falling in love with Portugal. She has spoken warmly of her fitness regime in recent interviews, crediting Pilates with keeping her on stage well into her seventies.
“I’m still rocking on that stage with my wonderful band, and if you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything,” she said earlier this year. She had previously undergone knee surgery but said the procedure had been very successful.
Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, Tyler has released 18 studio albums. Her most recent record, The Best Is Yet to Come, was released in 2021. She remains best known for Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero, both of which became global hits in the 1980s.
Her family has asked the media to allow them to share further updates in their own time, and to give the singer and those close to her the privacy and decency they have requested during what they describe as a difficult time.
