I was truly gutted to hear of the passing of Bonnie Tyler earlier today. I was aware she was having serious health struggles but always believed she would pull through. Such a talented lady.

I last saw her perform at the O2 in 2019 at a huge fund raising event for The Royal Marsden Hospital and it was great to catch up and do a bit of reminiscing too. I could not resist playing Is Anybody There? from the Return to the Centre of the Earth album. A true operatic rock performance. I would have loved the opportunity to have performed it live with her, but sadly that was never to be.

Eric Jordan who engineered the session said, "I actually played that track this morning in my studio, whilst having a trip down memory lane of the vocal session for that song… remembering her drinking the best part of a 2 ltr bottle of olive oil during the session to help her voice. She was magnificent."

To all Bonnie's family and friends I send my most sincere condolences. She will be sorely missed but thankfully her voice will live on forever.

Rick Wakeman, 9th July 2026

Hear Rick talk about Bonnie singing on Return To The Centre Of The Earth and see a short clip of her singing Is Anybody There?