Meat Loaf

This article is about the American singer. For the culinary dish, see Meatloaf.

Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf in 1971
Born
Marvin Lee Aday

(1947-09-27)September 27, 1947
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedJanuary 20, 2022(2022-01-20) (aged 74)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Other namesMichael Lee Aday
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actor
Years active1962–2022
Spouses
  • Leslie Edmonds
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1979; div. 2001)​
  • Deborah Gillespie
    ​
    (m. 2007)​
Children
Musical career
Genres
Years active1968–2022
Labels
Formerly of

Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. His Bat Out of Hell album trilogy—Bat Out of Hell (1977), Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993), and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006)—has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[1] The first album stayed on the charts for over nine years and is one of the best-selling albums in history, still selling an estimated 200,000 copies annually as of 2016.[2][3]

Despite the commercial success of Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, and earning a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the song "I'd Do Anything for Love", Meat Loaf nevertheless experienced some difficulty establishing a steady career within the United States.[4][5][6][7] However, his career still saw success due to his popularity in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland. He received the 1994 Brit Award in the United Kingdom for best-selling album and single, and was ranked 23rd for the number of weeks spent on the UK charts in 2006. He ranks 96th on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".[2]

Meat Loaf also acted in over 50 films and television shows, sometimes as himself or as characters resembling his stage persona. His notable film roles include Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), the bus driver in Spice World (1997), and Robert Paulson in Fight Club (1999). His early stage work included dual roles in the original Broadway cast of The Rocky Horror Show; he also appeared in the musical Hair, both on and Off-Broadway.

  1. ^ "Meat Loaf in numbers - after death of icon whose album spent 10 years in charts and with more film credits than Meryl Streep". Sky News. January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "BBC – radio 2 – Sold on Song – Top 100 – no 8 – 'Bat Out Of Hell'". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016.
  3. ^ Hotten, Jon (September 2000). "Bat Out Of Hell – The Story Behind The Album". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017 – via Jim Steinman.
  4. ^ "Meat Loaf, 'Bat Out of Hell' Rock Superstar Dies at 74". Billboard. Associated Press. January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Meat Loaf, rock superstar, 'Bat Out of Hell' singer, has died at 74". CBS News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022.
  6. ^ Marshall, Alex; Taylor, Derrick Bryson (January 21, 2022). "Meat Loaf, 'Bat Out of Hell' Singer and Actor, Dies at 74". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022.
  7. ^ "Rock legend and 'Bat Out of Hell' singer Meat Loaf dies at 74". Today. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022.