Born Marvin Lee Aday, the iconic rocker Meat Loaf died in Nashville, Tennessee on January 20 at the age of 74.
Born in Dallas, Texas on September 27, 1947, Meat Loaf was known for 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)—which sold over sixty-five million albums worldwide. Bat Out of Hell (his inaugural album) continually sells about 200,000 annual copies—even forty years after its debut. Bat Out of Hell is one of the best-selling albums in music history and remained on the charts for nine years.
Meat Loaf was also popular for portraying “Eddie” in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The cult classic is one of over fifty works of cinema and television in which Meat Loaf starred. He consistently acted either as himself or as a role that resembled his stage persona.
Although Meat Loaf accomplished success in music and media—even winning a Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance Grammy for his hit, “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”—he garnered greater fame in the United Kingdom than in the United States. Meat Loaf received a Brit Award in 1994 for best-selling album and single. He also starred in “Spice World, the Spice Girls’ 1997 film. On VH1’s “Greatest Artists of Hard Rock,” Meatloaf ranks 96.
The origin of the nickname Meat Loaf is dually attributed to his father and high school teasing. His father was said to have described the red-complexioned newborn as “nine pounds of ground chuck,” persuading the nursing staff to label his hospital crib with the name “Meat.” As his weight increased through his participation in high school football, “Meat” evolved to “M.L.” then to “Meat Loaf.”
No cause of death was confirmed.
