WATCH: This gay cruise gave a heartwarming tribute to Bonnie Tyler during the total eclipse
Turn around, bright eyes.
Mark
The biggest total solar eclipse in nearly three decades passed by our eyes on Wednesday. And while a certain gay icon wasn’t here to witness it, the LGBTQ+ community made sure she was remembered.
Of course, we’re talking about the late Welsh powerhouse Bonnie Tyler, who passed away in July at 75. With husky voice and a penchant for the gays, she gifted us with timeless ’80s classics like “Holding Out for a Hero,” and, naturally, “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
Originally, the singer was scheduled to perform her topical hit on VACAYA LGBTQ+ Vacations‘ nine-night Total Eclipse Cruise through the Mediterranean.
So, despite her absence, more than 2,800 LGBTQ+ travelers made sure she was there in spirit.
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Watch.
As the heartwarming video shows, passengers gathered on the deck to join in a chorus of “Turn arounds,” as the ship sailed near A Coruña, Spain.
The thunderous crowd nearly matched the volume of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK alum La Voix, who led the audience through what she jokingly called the “bloody key change.”
Also on hand was West End star Astrid Harris, who took a break from portraying Céline Dion in Titanique to dazzle audiences with a rendition of “The Prayer.”
“As the eclipse happened we felt her with us all,” VACAYA wrote in an Instagram post. “It was a truly beautifully epic moment. We hope we made you proud Bonnie!”
It was especially appropriate that La Voix led the tribute, considering the drag icon has a longstanding history of concluding her own shows with “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
As the 46-year-old star shared on Instagram, she even had the privilege of interviewing Tyler back in 2020 for a radio show on BBC.
Fittingly, the singer explained that she felt “very lucky to have some of the most iconic songs that have ever been [written].”
“Every time I sing [‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’], it’s like the first time,” Tyler told La Voix at the time. “The very first time I heard that song, [it was like] tears in our eyes, just wow, this song.”
That said, a chorus of gays on the VACAYA cruise wasn’t the only place you could hear Tyler’s powerful tune.
According to Spotify, the song nearly doubled in streams during the eclipse.
The whole thing has us even more pumped for next year, when VACAYA sets sail for an astronomically rare, second total eclipse.
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