American singer and actor Meat Loaf has died at the age of 74, his agent has confirmed. No cause of death was announced. The musician passed away on Thursday January 20 with his wife Deborah by his side.
Best known for the album ‘Bat Out of Hell’, one of the best selling albums of all time, his real name was Michael Lee Aday. The musician had a career spanning six decades and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
As a performer, he has starred in more than 65 films, including ‘Fight Club,’ ‘Focus,’ ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ and ‘Wayne’s World.’
An official statement from the Meat Loaf Facebook page reads:
“We know how much it meant to so many of you and truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief over the loss of such an inspiring artist and such a beautiful man.
“From your heart to your souls… never stop rocking!”
Meatloaf’s death comes less than a year after the passing of his longtime collaborator, Jim Steinman, who composed “Bat Out of Hell” in 1977. It has gone on to sell more than 50 million copies globally and yielded the hit “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” a multi-act mini rock opera that incorporates barroom piano, a baseball play-by-play and revving engines into an explosive combination of hooks and melodies. Meat Loaf’s work with Steinman continued on the 1981 album “Dead Ringer,” 1993’s “Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell” and 2016’s “Braver Than We Are.”
