Thousands of fans gathered this Saturday in the streets of Mumbles, Swansea (Wales), to bid farewell to Bonnie Tyler in a massive public tribute ahead of her official funeral scheduled for next Monday.
The casket of the singer, who passed away on July 8 at the age of 75 in a hospital in Portugal, left around 3:15 PM from the William Pressdee Funeralcare and traveled along Newton Road and other streets connected to the artist before arriving at her residence in the same coastal neighborhood.
The coffin, visible through the hearse, was draped with the flag of Wales and accompanied by a framed portrait of the singer.
As the procession moved forward, those present threw flowers at the vehicle, applauded, and cried. In a spontaneous moment, several followers began to sing Total Eclipse of the Heart —their biggest hit— and other voices joined in, turning it into a collective chorus.
Among the audience were neighborhood residents, admirers who traveled from various parts of the United Kingdom, and even people who crossed borders to be there.
Tyler, whose real name was Gaynor Hopkins, was born in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, and grew up in a public housing home in Neath. Despite a career that took her around the world —over 20 million records sold and three Grammy nominations— she never lost her connection to her homeland.
Her neighbors in Mumbles described her as "a girl from Swansea from head to toe" who "never forgot where she came from."
BBC reported that the farewell will continue on Monday with a public memorial service at 12:00 at Swansea Minster, with limited seating for the general public and broadcasting outside the temple and online.
After the ceremony, the procession will pass through Skewen—his hometown—around 1:20 PM, before a strictly private farewell. The family has requested that flowers be replaced with donations to Noah's Ark Children's Hospital for Wales and Cerebral Palsy Cymru.
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