Meat Loaf’s hell-raising ride to stardom from drugs and Rocky Horror to Spice World
Famed for his powerful voice and theatrical live shows, Meat Loaf personified the phrase ‘larger than life’, winning the hearts of millions with his energy and spirit.
Hard-living and hard-rocking, he sold more than 100 million albums over a career that spanned six decades, including the 1977 smash hit Bat Out Of Hell, which is one of the best-selling of all time, alongside records from the likes of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.
Away from his music, he thrilled fans with cult roles in Rocky Horror, both on stage and in film, as well as Fight Club and Spice World.
But, he also hit the headlines for his antics and stories from an outrageous and colourful life.
Among some of his more infamous tales, he claimed that he once gave serial killer Charles Manson a lift and also said that his car was used by the American secret service during JFK’s assassination in 1963.
In another story, he recounted how he once grabbed a ‘jealous’ Prince Andrew and screamed ‘I don’t give a s*** who you are’ after the Duke of York tried pushing him into a moat for flirting with his then-wife Sarah Ferguson while they were filming at a charity event in 1987.
Meat Loaf was born Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1947 in Dallas, Texas – the son of an alcoholic police officer and a school teacher who sang in a girls’ gospel quartet.
The early years in Texas were rough, particularly with his father. He once revealed in an interview: ‘I’ve forgiven my father for trying to kill me with a butcher’s knife.’
He also faced bullying at school, with his nickname Meat Loaf a jab at his weight. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School and was dubbed Meat Loaf after treading on the foot of his football coach.
All this was followed by the devastating loss of his mother to cancer while he was still a teenager. He told Classic Rock magazine that he grabbed her body at the funeral, screaming: ‘You can’t have her!’
It was his mother that instilled a love of performing in Meat Loaf and upon her death he quit high school football and left Dallas and his father, to take the first steps on the road to eventual superstardom.
Meat Loaf performing in 1982. The American singer has died at the age of 74, his family said today
Prince of Wales (left) meeting Meat Loaf and Beyonce following the ‘Party in the Park’ event in Hyde Park in 2003
Meat Loaf (left) being greeted at Stafford railway station by Prince Edward in 1987
Hard-living and hard-rocking, Meat Loaf sold more than 100 million albums over a career that spanned six decades
He formed the band Meat Loaf Soul in Los Angeles, with his trademark voice bringing them a string of offers for recording contracts and seeing them open for the likes of the Who and the Grateful Dead.
But he soon quit the band to join the musical Hair. It was in theatre that he first made his name and he went on to star in the stage and film versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The allure of music proved irresistible, however, and he quit the stage to focus on his career full-time.
Not long after he was on his way to New York, where he teamed up with musician and playwright Jim Steinman who provided the wild, theatrical backing music to accompany Meat Loaf’s bellowing voice.
It took years to convince music industry professionals and the duo were rejected by every major record label until they scored a meeting with legendary producer Todd Rundgren, who found their extended motorcycle rock operas hilarious.
He teamed them with musicians from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and ‘Bat Out of Hell’ was finally born in 1977, going on to sell 43 million copies worldwide.
However, the musician was ill-prepared for his sudden superstardom and the demands of overnight celebrity and continuous touring soon took a toll.
He suffered a cocaine and alcohol-fuelled breakdown shortly after his album’s release and was supported by his wife, Leslie Edmunds, who he married in 1978.
He undertook a gruelling year-long global tour and thrilled audiences with his chaotic performances. However, one appearance in Toronto saw him fall off the stage, leaving him a wheelchair for a month.
‘There were fights, mutinies, drugs and over-indulgence at every stop,’ wrote Louder Sound of the first major tour.
‘Meat pushed himself so hard physically every night that he required oxygen to revive him.’
Meat Loaf posing in front of a red background wearing a leather jacket and jeans with a smirk on his face
American singers Cher (left) and Meat Loaf posing for the media with Des Lynam in 1998
Meat Loaf, pictured in London in 1978. His 1977 smash hit album Bat Out Of Hell is one of the best-selling of all time, alongside records from the likes of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston
Meat Loaf posing with very excited fans in this undated photo. He sold millions of records
Meat Loaf arriving for the Kerrang Awards 2006 at The Brewery in London in August that year
Meat Loaf and his wife Deborah at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in February 2008. She was by her husband’s side when he died
There were broken bones, piles of cocaine and nervous breakdowns – and that was only the first album.
‘He’s a tortured guy,’ Karla Devito, his backing singer, told Louder Sound in 2016. ‘There’s no doubt about that.’
His follow-ups failed to set fans alight. To make matters worse, his overwhelming success created tension between him and Jim Steinman, who felt he received insufficient credit for his role.
Steinman, considered a genius within the music industry, began working with other artists and Meat Loaf’s career began to fade, with Epic not renewing his contract.
However, the two rekindled their relationship and Meat Loaf made a blazing comeback with Bat Out Of Hell’s sequel in 1993.
Widely-regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in rock history, Meat Loaf went on another world tour, his passion undimmed.
At one concert in London, he told the crowd to ‘never ever ever stop rocking’.
Lead single I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) reached number one in 28 countries and earned him a Grammy award.
Music producer Pete Waterman said that the passing of Steinman last year would have affected Meat Loaf.
Meat Loaf, as he appears in the movie ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, 1975. He dipped in and out of acting throughout his life
Meat Loaf appeared in the 1999 film Fight Club alongside Edward Norton – a film that also starred Brad Pitt
Meat Loaf in the 1997 film Spice World, where he appeared as the Spice Girls’ bus driver Dennis
Teddy Pendergrass, Meat Loaf and Deborah Harry of Blondie on a night out
Meat Loaf at E.B. Marks Music Room working on his debut album Bat Out Of Hell in 1976
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘It’s like when your partner does go, it takes a part of you away. I don’t think you can ever work out what that effectively does to you personally. So, I think that must have had some impact.
‘But he was an amazing character. I once sat on a plane with him to New York and he took a box, like a cold trunk full of beef burgers. It was amazing, what that boy could eat, I’ll tell you – he could eat.’
‘Meat Loaf was Meat Loaf. His size was part of the whole legend. It was his voice – you know, you knew what you got with Meat Loaf. It was 100 per cent of everything.’
In 1995, Meat Loaf released Welcome To The Neighbourhood, which went platinum in the UK and US, and his third Bat Out Of Hell album, The Monster Is Loose, in 2006.
The Bat Out Of Hell trilogy was also adapted in to a stage musical, which was written by Steinman and featured some of the musician’s best-loved hits.
He would often dip back into acting, most memorably a cameo as Bob, a man with huge breasts, in ‘Fight Club’.
In 1997, he also made a scene-stealing cameo as the bus driver in Spice World.
In 2016, he released a new album – his first since 2011 – and returned to a busy schedule after a two-year gap in touring, a string of health scares and speculation he would retire.
Meat Loaf was plagued by health issues, including asthma, which caused him to collapse on stage during a concert in Pittsburgh in 2011.
He suffered from a medical condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White, which causes an irregular heartbeat, and underwent surgery in 2003 in London.
Meat Loaf reunited with Steinman for the fourth time for his last studio album Braver Than We Are, which was released in 2016 and reached fourth place in the UK album charts.
The singer had collapsed onstage at least three times since 2003, including once in Canada in 2016 after suffering from dehydration while singing ‘I’d Do Anything For Love’.
Meat Loaf has two daughters – TV actress Amanda Aday and adopted daughter Pearl – from his marriage to ex-wife Leslie.
As an adult, Meat Loaf changed his first name to Michael from Marvin because of childhood taunts about his weight.
He also described the emotional impact of a Levi’s jeans commercial that had the slogan, ‘Poor fat Marvin can’t wear Levi’s’.
Meat Loaf ‘grabbed Prince Andrew and said ‘I don’t give a s**t who you are » after the Duke ‘tried to push the singer into a moat’ when he thought Fergie was flirting with him on It’s a Royal Knockout in 1987
BY JACOB THORBURN FOR MAILONLINE
The late American singer Meat Loaf claimed he once grabbed Prince Andrew and screamed ‘I don’t give a s*** who you are’ after the two were reportedly involved in a brawl over Sarah Ferguson.
The Bat Out Of Hell star said the Duke of York tried pushing him into a moat while they were filming for the one-off charity event It’s a Royal Knockout in Staffordshire in 1987.
He told the Guardian he grabbed the royal, who allegedly warned the singer about flirting with his then-wife Sarah Ferguson and told him: ‘You can’t touch me. I’m royal’.
Meat Loaf is reported to have bluntly informed a ‘jealous’ Prince Andrew: ‘I don’t give a s*** who you are’, before pushing him back.
It’s among the more memorable tales of the American’s colourful life, alongside previous claims that he once gave serial killer Charles Manson a lift and that his car was used by the American secret service during JFK’s assassination in 1963.
The singer, whose real name was Marvin Lee Aday, died at the age of 74 after selling more than 100million albums worldwide and starring in 65 movies, his family announced today.
Among those paying tribute to Meat Loaf today were singer Cher, who said she had ‘so much fun’ when she worked with him, and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber who said the ‘vaults of heaven will be ringing with rock’.
The late American singer Meat Loaf claimed he once grabbed Prince Andrew and screamed ‘I don’t give a s*** who you are’ while filming for the one-off charity event It’s a Royal Knockout in Staffordshire in 1987 (pictured above)
The Duke of York is pictured taking part in the one-off charity special It’s a Royal Knockout in 1987
Meat Loaf would later claim that shove sparked the ire of The Queen, who ‘hated him’ after his confrontation with her son Prince Andrew in 1987.
Meat insisted he ‘had a great time’ filming with members of The Firm for It’s a Royal Knockout in a 2003 interview with the Guardian.
He added: ‘Fergie wasn’t exactly flirting with me, but she was paying attention to me, and I think Andrew got a little – I could be wrong, I’m just reading into this – I think he got a little jealous.
‘Anyway, he tried to push me in the water. He tried to push me in the moat.
‘So I turned around and I grabbed him and he goes, « You can’t touch me. I’m royal ».
‘I said: « Well you tried to push me in the moat, Jack, I don’t give a s*** who you are, you’re going in the moat ».’
The tale remerged today as news of the power ballard icon’s passing sparked thousands of tributes across the globe.
Meat Loaf had an extraordinary career over six decades with the Bat Out Of Hell trilogy among his most popular musical offerings.
His hits included the near ten-minute title track from Bat Out Of Hell, Paradise By The Dashboard Light from the same album, and I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) from 1993 album Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell.
The single I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) reached number one in 28 countries and earned him a Grammy award. The rocker also played the role of Eddie in the 1975 musical film The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
In 2016 he was honoured with the Hero Award at the annual Q Awards music ceremony, which he dedicated to everyday heroes and called on people to ‘bring love back into this world’.
His career spanned more than just music, with the musician also featured in a string of films including 1999’s Fight Club and 1992’s Wayne’s World.
Meat Loaf performs in Las Vegas in October 2013. The American singer has died at the age of 74, his family said today
American singer Meat Loaf sold more than 100million albums worldwide and starred in 65 movies. He is pictured in 1993
Meat Loaf and his wife Deborah at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in February 2008. She was by her husband’s side when he died
Meat Loaf had spoken openly about health issues that had plagued him, notably asthma, which caused him to collapse on stage during a concert in Pittsburgh in 2011, and in 2003 he collapsed at Wembley Arena in London and was admitted to hospital.
He later held a press conference in Kensington to reassure fans about his health. Then, following an on-stage collapse in Canada in 2016, a statement said it was due to ‘severe dehydration’.
Born in Dallas in 1947, Meat Loaf found early success on the stage in the 1970s, performing in the Broadway musicals Hair and The Rocky Horror Show – before he switched focus to rock music around 1972.
Meat Loaf started collaborating with Mr Steinman – who died last April – on a debut album that year which showcased his powerful voice and established his leather-clad, motorcycle-riding rock persona.
The singer will be best remembered for famously singing in Bat Out Of Hell: ‘Like a bat out of hell I’ll be gone when the morning comes; When the night is over, like a bat out of hell, I’ll be gone, gone, gone.’
He is survived by his wife Deborah Gillespie – who is from Canada and married him in 2007 – and by daughters Pearl Aday, a singer who went on tour with him; and Amanda Aday, an actress from the HBO series Carnivale.
He had both children with his first wife Leslie Edmonds, whom he met when she was working as a secretary at Bearsville Studios – and they were married from 1978 to 2001. Pearl is married to Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.
Prince Charles meets singers including Meat Loaf and Beyonce following ‘Party in the Park’ at Hyde Park in London in 2003
Meat Loaf and Cher pose with Des Lynam (centre) after they joined him on The Des Lynam Show on BBC Radio 2 in 1998
Meat Loaf (right) with long-time collaborator Jim Steinman (left) in March 1978. Mr Steinman died in April last year
The alleged origins of his stage name range from his weight to a favourite recipe of his mother’s – and he renamed himself Michael Lee Aday in 1984 after a Levi’s TV advert referred to how ‘Poor fat Marvin can’t wear Levi’s.’
The singer also went by the name ‘Meat Loaf’ off stage – and this was even printed on his passport, but he decided to switch it back to Michael after running into trouble in Germany where he was kept in immigration for six hours.
A statement by Meat Loaf’s family posted on the star’s Facebook page this morning said: ‘Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side.
‘Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends have been with him throughout the last 24 hours.
‘His amazing career spanned six decades that saw him sell over 100million albums worldwide and star in over 65 movies, including Fight Club, Focus, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Wayne’s World. Bat Out of Hell remains one of the top ten selling albums of all time.’
The post added: ‘We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man.
‘We thank you for your understanding of our need for privacy at this time. From his heart to your souls… don’t ever stop rocking!’