Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf in 1971
Born
Marvin Lee Aday

(1947-09-27)September 27, 1947
DiedJanuary 20, 2022(2022-01-20) (aged 74)
Other namesMarvin Lee Aday
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actor
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), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is one of the best selling music artists in history. His Bat Out of Hell 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.[1] The first album stayed on the charts for over nine years, as of 2016 still sold an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and is on the list of bestselling albums.[2][3]

After 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] The key to this success was his popularity in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland. He received the 1994 Brit Award in the United Kingdom for bestselling album and single. He appeared in the 1997 film Spice World and he 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 appeared in over 50 films and television shows, sometimes as himself or as characters resembling his stage persona. His film roles included Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) 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. January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  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.