Long before the Algarve became her permanent sanctuary, Bonnie Tyler found a rare refuge in Portugal—a place where the intense pressures of global stardom faded away. The iconic British singer, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 75 at the Faro District Hospital, spent a massive portion of her life split between her native Wales and the southern coast of Portugal, a country she frequently called her “favorite place in the world.”
Tyler’s connection to the Iberian nation dates back to 1977. While recording an album, she decided to take a brief holiday with her bandmates in the Algarve, renting two houses in the upscale resort area of Vale do Lobo. The experience altered the course of her personal life. She fell instantly in love with the region’s sweeping beaches, warm climate, local cuisine, and the hospitality of the Portuguese people, quickly leading her to purchase a permanent property there.
For nearly five decades, the Algarve served as Tyler’s second home. In various media interviews over the years, she revealed that she spent roughly half of each year in Portugal to recharge between grueling international tours. “As soon as I step off the plane in Portugal, I switch off from everything. It’s wonderful,” she told the Daily Mail, explaining that the region offered a level of tranquility she struggled to find anywhere else.
“Blessed to Be Born Here”
In a 2021 interview with Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã, Tyler detailed the deep emotional bond she maintained with the country. “Portugal is, without a doubt, my favorite place. I never tire of being here,” she shared. “I often tell my Portuguese friends that they are blessed to have been born in Portugal. It is one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”
Though she playfully admitted that she never managed to master the Portuguese language because of its complexity, she felt entirely integrated into the community, joking that “everyone ends up speaking English with me anyway.”
Away from the stage, Tyler embraced a remarkably grounded lifestyle in the Algarve alongside her husband of over 50 years, Robert Sullivan. Her routine consisted of coastal walks, dining at local family-run restaurants, and spending long afternoons out on the water in the couple’s boat. In a piece written for The Guardian, she reiterated that her favorite aspect of the Portuguese lifestyle was how effortlessly it allowed her to forget the rest of the world, calling it “incredibly relaxing.”
Portugal was also where the couple chose to ride out the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remained her primary base through her final months.
After returning to the Algarve following a recent concert in the United Kingdom, Tyler’s health took a sharp turn. Her hospitalization in Faro, which ultimately led to her death from complications related to a generalized infection, marked a somber end to a 50-year relationship with the coastal paradise she chose as her final home.
