Meat Loaf, the bombastic singer and actor whose “Bat Out of Hell” album was one of the best-selling records of all time, passed away Thursday night at the age of 74.
Rise to Prominence: Born Marvin Lee Aday on Sept. 27, 1947, he claimed he received his stage name as a heavy-set eighth-grade football player, recalling, "I stepped on a coach's foot, and he screamed, 'Get off my foot you hunk of meatloaf!'"
His performing career began in the late 1960s and was divided between music and theater. He played opening act gigs in California for the likes of Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, The Who and MC5 and was cast in the ensemble of the Los Angeles stage production of “Hair.” His first recording contract was with Motown, pairing with Shaun “Stoney” Murphy on the 1971 album “Stoney and Meatloaf” (with his name misspelled).
Career Peak: Meat Loaf relocated to New York City to focus on stage acting and then returned to the Los Angeles theater scene to play Eddie and Dr. Everett Scott in “The Rocky Horror Show.” For the 1975 film, retitled “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” he only played Eddie. The film was a commercial flop upon its initial release, but became a midnight movie cult favorite during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
After his “Rocky Horror” turn, Meat Loaf decided to concentrate on his music work. His 1977 solo debut album “Bat Out of Hell” was rejected by all of the major music labels, and Meat Loaf could only convince the independent Ohio-based Cleveland International Records to take a chance on him.
“Bat Out of Hell” became an immediate sensation, spawning hit singles including the title track, “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” The album would become one of the commercially successful albums of all time, having sold over 43 million copies worldwide.
Later Career: While Meat Loaf would never duplicate the commercial triumph of “Bat Out of Hell,” he maintained a loyal audience base throughout his career, particularly in Europe where his later recordings were popular, including the 1981 "Dead Ringer for Love" duet with Cher that peaked at no. 5 on the U.K. Singles Charts. Among his later accomplishments was a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the 1993 song "I'd Do Anything for Love" and extensive world tours where he played to sold-out audiences.
Meat Loaf had his only starring film role in the 1980s “Roadie” but made memorable guest appearances in audience favorites including “Wayne’s World,” “Spice World” and “Fight Club.” He was the subject of the 2007 documentary “Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise.”
TMZ, citing unnamed sources, said he was scheduled to attend a business dinner earlier this week to discuss a theatrical production inspired by "I'd Do Anything for Love" but was forced to cancel after he became ill with COVID-19. His family did not disclose his cause of death.
Photo: Meat Loaf as Eddie in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
