Music icon Cliff Richard has penned a touching tribute to his "wonderful friend" Bonnie Tyler. On Thursday (July 9), the Welsh hitmaker died at the age of 75 following a brief health struggle, which saw her put in an induced coma after surgery. A statement published on the singer's official website confirmed the sad news to her loyal legion of fans online.

It read: "Bonnie's family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in the hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for. We will issue a further statement shortly, but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy."

Following her passing, some of the biggest names in the music industry have shared their fond memories and touching tributes to the star's family online. Leading the tributes was the Mistletoe and Wine hitmaker, who shared a sweet snap of the pair in their youth, beaming over a plate of delicious food.

The 85-year-old musician captioned the post: "Another wonderful friend gone too soon. Bonnie's infectious zest for life entertained so many around the world, and to be a good friend to all, including me. It is shocking news to wake up to you this morning, and I send my love to her family at this very sad time. RIP Bonnie... Cliff."

Elsewhere, Catherine Zeta-Jones paid her respects on Instagram, saying her heart was "broken" with the news that "our dearest Bonnie Tyler has passed away". The Total Eclipse of the Heart hitmaker is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan, who is Zeta-Jones' cousin.

The Chicago movie star, who shared a snap of herself with the musician, continued: "A one of a kind artist, who so easily could have been a comedian because she was one of the funniest people I ever met. Thank you, Bonnie, for the joy you brought so many. Sleep tight, beautiful lady."

Meanwhile, TV personality Carol Worderman says she is "truly sad" to hear of Tyler's death in a touching post on Instagram. She penned: "I am a Welsh woman, and believe me, in Wales, Bonnie Tyler is regarded as a legend - particularly amongst women.

"She was extraordinary. I met her a number of times. She was very real. She was always laughing, asking questions, always having a good time." The former Countdown star claimed that Tyler represented something special to Wales, adding that she will be "very, very sorely missed."

She concluded: "My heart goes out to her family - she was very much a family woman, and all of her really good friends. A very sad day." It is understood that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is among those honouring the Welsh pop star, calling her an "iconic figure" and "one of Britain's greatest recording artists."

Total Eclipse of the Heart was released in 1983, and in more than 40 years, Bonnie confessed she never tired of singing it. Speaking in 2023, she said that the first time she heard the anthem, she couldn't believe its writer, Jim Steinman, had given her the song.

She told BBC News: "I recorded it in New York and the way Jim works is you sing the song through nine times, and you decide which take has the best feel, which happened to be the second."