Welsh singer and songwriter with a husky voice and 1980s global hits
The Total Eclipse of the Heart singer, Gaynor Hopkins, dies at age 75 in a Portuguese hospital. Tributes flow from peers; a funeral plan centers on a public procession through Swansea and Skewen, with a memorial at Swansea Minster. Family donations will support Noah’s Ark Wales and Cerebral Palsy Cymru. A celebration of life is scheduled for 17 August; the star’s coffin is to travel from Faro to her home before public tributes.
BTS has decided not to submit its ARIRANG album for the 2027 Grammys. The seven-member group has posted identical statements on Instagram emphasizing music should be heard for what it is, not defined by region or language. The Recording Academy says the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category aims to celebrate Asian pop artistry, while critics worry it could isolate Asian acts.
The Welsh pop icon Bonnie Tyler has died aged 75 in Portugal. A funeral service is held at Swansea Minster with a private cortege through her hometown of Skewen, following public tributes in Mumbles. Family and friends celebrate her life, reflecting on a career that produced Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out For A Hero.