Born Marvin Lee Aday, Meat Loaf was most famous for his bombastic album Bat Out Of Hell. Remaining one of the best-selling releases of all time, he’s widely regarded as a veteran in the industry.
Brian May, Bonnie Tyler and Cher all shared their sympathies on social media, the latter saying she had “so much fun” recording the 1981 track ‘Dead Ringer for Love’ with him. Queen guitarist May said he was completely gutted, having worked with Meat Loaf several times in his career.
“Always full of madness, with the innocent sense of naughtiness of a five-year old,” May wrote on Instagram. “Meat was forever young.”
The singer’s 1977 release, Bat Out Of Hell, sold over 100 million copies worldwide and appeared in movies from Fight Club to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. He also released the successful hit ‘I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That’), and an album with Bonnie Tyler in 1989.
Known for his expansive range and powerhouse personality, the rocker touched the hearts of many and grew an impressive reputation. Glam rocker Alice Cooper expressed his sorrow on Twitter, writing, “”Meat Loaf was one of the greatest voices in rock ‘n’ roll, and he was certainly one of my closest friends in the business.
“There was nobody, and I mean nobody like Meat Loaf,” he added. “His shoes can never be filled.”
The Dallas born singer, born as Marvin but also known as Michael, got his nickname from his dad, who said he looked “red as meat” at birth. Later, a high school football team added “loaf”. His other most notable albums between the ‘70s and ‘80s were Dead Ringer and Midnight at the Lost and Found. By the ‘90s, he’d won a Grammy Award for UK’s best-selling single with ‘I’d Do Anything For Love’.
It’s reported his cause of death was covid, and he died peacefully at home surrounded by family. He was known to be larger than life, with a warm, operatic voice that could bend registers thanks to his early start in musical theatre. Although the Bat Out Of Hell tour ended up exhaustive with complicated contract disloyalties, his career rebounded with more successful releases and an eventual reteam up with Bat Out Of Hell co-writer Jim Steinman. Their prompted release, the Grammy Award winning track, spent seven weeks at number one in the UK.
His legacy lives on in the belt-worthy classics he produced throughout his notable, commendable career.
Featured image credit: Vulture
