Bonnie Tyler shared more than five decades of marriage with Robert Sullivan, a former Olympic athlete who became a successful property developer.
The “Total Eclipse of the Heart” singer died unexpectedly at age 75, her family announced on July 9. She had been hospitalized in Portugal following emergency surgery and serious complications.
Tyler rose to international fame with songs including “Lost in France,” “It’s a Heartache,” “Holding Out for a Hero” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” She sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide, received three Grammy nominations and was appointed an MBE for services to music.
Behind her career was her 53-year marriage to Sullivan, whom she met before she became famous.
Bonnie Tyler Met Robert Sullivan Before Her Music Career Took Off
Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins in 1951 and grew up in Skewen, Neath, Wales. Her father worked as a coal miner, while her mother was a homemaker.
She left school at 16 and worked in a grocery shop before beginning to sing in local clubs.
Tyler met Sullivan in 1970 while he was working as a nightclub manager in Swansea and she was performing on the local music circuit. They married three years later when she was 22.
The singer later told The Times that meeting before her rise to fame helped their marriage last.
“I think the secret to our success is that we met before I was famous,” Tyler said.
The couple did not have children.
“We don’t have children because we left it too late to stop taking precautions, and then I had a miscarriage when I was 40,” she explained. “I was unlucky, but I love all my nieces and nephews.”
Robert Sullivan Competed in the Olympics Before Building a Property Empire
Sullivan had already built an impressive career of his own when his wife became a global star.
He competed in judo for Great Britain at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, finishing 18th in the men’s half-middleweight division. He also won a silver medal at the 1972 European Team Championships in the Netherlands.
After retiring from the sport, Sullivan moved into real estate and became a property developer.
He and Tyler began investing in property during the 1970s. One of their earliest major investments was land in New Zealand.
“At first we had a cashmere goat farm; then it became a dairy farm,” Tyler told The Times in 2023.
The couple eventually sold the farm. Their other investments included properties and stables in England.
“We also own 65 stables in Lambourn, Berkshire, which we rent to the Jockey Club,” Tyler said. “We used to own 22 houses in Berkshire, but we’ve sold 17 of them.”
Bonnie Tyler and Her Husband Split Their Time Between Wales and Portugal
Tyler and Sullivan built a life that allowed them to divide their time between south Wales and Portugal.
The singer first bought property in Portugal’s Algarve region during the 1970s after falling in love with the area while recording an album.
In 2009, she replaced her five-bedroom villa in Albufeira with a glass-fronted home featuring elaborate garden water features.
“It’s a magical place where you could sail out to sea at midnight and enjoy a barbecue and return to shore in the early hours of the morning to find the local bars still open,” she once said of the region.
The couple also owned rental properties in Portugal.
Despite their success, Tyler remained committed to performing. She told the Mirror that she had no plans to completely leave music behind.
“I started singing when I was 17 and I never thought I’d still be doing it at this age,” she said. “I’ve slowed down a little bit, but I know now that I will never retire.”
Bonnie Tyler Spoke Openly About the Ups and Downs in Her 53-Year Marriage
Tyler did not claim that her marriage was always perfect.
In 2016, a French fan alleged that she had an 18-month affair with Sullivan. The claim was never proven.
Years earlier, Tyler spoke openly about the couple’s relationship and said they remained devoted to each other.
“I am still very much in love with him and he with me,” she said in 2012. “We never fall out. He is very easy on the eye, which helps.”
The following year, Tyler acknowledged that both she and Sullivan had been unfaithful when they were younger.
“I wouldn’t put up with anything like that now and I wouldn’t expect him to but this was the 70s,” she said. “I was travelling without him. He had his own business and we couldn’t travel together.”
She added, “We’ve had ups and downs but if you can get through it all it makes you stronger.”
The marriage lasted until Tyler’s passing.
Robert Sullivan Has a Surprising Connection to Catherine Zeta-Jones
Sullivan’s family also gave Tyler a connection to another famous Welsh star.
He is related to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. Sullivan is the cousin of Zeta-Jones’ father, David James Jones, creating a family connection between the singer and actress, according to the BBC.
Zeta-Jones previously acknowledged the relationship on Instagram while sharing a family video set to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” during the 2017 solar eclipse.
“The fantastic Bonnie Tyler is related to us Jones,” she wrote.
