SWANSEA – Hundreds of people joined mourners on Aug 17 for the funeral of Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, with fans singing along to the star’s song “It’s a Heartache” as her coffin was carried into church.

The husky-voiced star, known for a string of hits including “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, died in Portugal in July aged 75.

More than 1,000 people gathered outside the church ahead of the funeral in south Wales, which was also live-streamed.

There was applause as a hearse carrying her white coffin – covered with white roses and lilies and etched with a small hand holding a microphone and a treble clef – arrived at Swansea Minster, which was packed with family and friends.

“It’s a Heartache” and another of her hits, “If I Sing You A Love Song”, were played as pallbearers carried the casket into the minster.

“She is a Welsh icon,” 75-year-old retiree Bette Richards told AFP. “She was a beautiful person. She never changed,” she added.

The funeral also featured Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” performed by a male voice choir.

Another Swansea resident, John Edwards, 70, paid tribute to a star who was also very much “an ordinary person” and “one of us”.

“I feel proud... Everybody loves her. It is a big loss,” he said.

A life ‘well-lived’

Tyler died in hospital in Faro in southern Portugal on July 8.

In a eulogy, Tyler’s long-time tour manager Matt Davis remembered a star who could “command any stage” and led...