The singer and actor, born Marvin Lee Aday, is gone at 74.
Washington Post (“ Singer and actor Meat Loaf dies at 74, family says “): Meat Loaf, a singer whose soaring, near-operatic rock anthems made him one of the most unexpected pop stars of the 1970s and 1980s, and whose many acting roles included an integral part in the cult movie classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” died Jan.20. He was 74. The singer died surrounded by his wife, Deborah, his daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends, his family said in a statement. A cause of death was not released. “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,” the statement added. “From his heart to your souls… don’t ever stop rocking!” Meat Loaf had collapsed onstage several times, including once in 2003 and again in 2016, when he stopped a performance in Edmonton, Alberta, from what was called dehydration. He resumed his tour after several days. Meat Loaf, whose given name was Marvin Lee Aday, was an overweight character actor and second-rung rock singer before releasing his breakthrough album, “Bat Out of Hell,” in 1977. In singing the overwrought songs about teen angst and lust, Meat Loaf created the persona of an uncertain, love-struck man-child whose theatrical vocal style took him to the edge of self-parody. His best-known songs could be described as rococo rock. There was “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth” and “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” — all from “Bat Out of Hell” — as well as his later Grammy-winning hit, “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).” All were written by Meat Loaf’s longtime musical collaborator and occasional antagonist Jim Steinman, but it was Meat Loaf who was the vehicle for the music, delivering energetic, emotionally earnest performances with an almost heroic sincerity. “Bat Out of Hell” was rejected by dozens of record companies before the album was finally released by Cleveland International, a small label associated with Epic Records. It received tepid, even hostile reviews at first. But through relentless touring and a 1978 appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” Meat Loaf found an audience, making “Bat Out of Hell” an enormous, if unexpected hit. It periodically returned to the pop charts for almost 40 years and sold an estimated 43 million copies worldwide, making it one of the Top 10-best-selling albums of all time. Its signature tune, “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” which Meat Loaf performed with singer Ellen Foley, was an ornate melodrama about a teenage make-out session: “Though it’s cold and lonely in the deep dark night, I can see paradise by the dashboard light.” “Paradise” clocked in at more than eight minutes long and even contained a long segment narrated by Hall of Fame baseball player and broadcaster Phil Rizzuto, describing a batter rounding the bases and sliding into home. (Rizzuto said he didn’t realize his description was meant to be an elaborate sexual metaphor.
