Singer Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, has passed away at the age of 74 on Thursday, according to his manager.
He’s best known for his multi-platinum albums, including Bat Out of Hell, numerous hits, and appearances in various films or TV shows.
While Meat Loaf’s cause of death wasn’t revealed upon his passing, at least one report indicates how the Bat Out of Hell singer may have died.
Meat Loaf’s possible cause of death
Michael Greene, Meat Loaf’s manager, confirmed to TMZ that the singer died on Thursday night. A cause of death wasn’t given. His manager also mentioned that the singer’s wife and two daughters were by his side when he passed away.
Based on the report, Meat Loaf was working on a show called I’d Do Anything for Love but had to cancel a business dinner for it earlier this week. That was allegedly due to the singer becoming “seriously ill with COVID,” according to TMZ’s report.
According to TMZ’s sources, Meat Loaf’s “condition quickly became critical.” They mentioned that the singer was outspoken in criticizing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, specifically with people in Australia.
It’s also unknown as of this report if he had received any COVID-19 vaccination shots himself, per TMZ.
Celebrities pay tribute to Meat Loaf
Upon learning of Meat Loaf’s death, many celebrities paid tribute to the late singer with messages on Twitter. Television personality Piers Morgan called the singer “One of rock music’s all-time great characters,” adding that he was a “wondrously talented, flamboyant, funny, outrageous, and rebellious chameleon.”
“We wanted you, we needed you–and we loved you. Three out of three after all, Meatloaf. You will be missed,” Star Trek legend George Takei tweeted.
Cher reminisced on her time doing Dead Ringer with Meat Loaf and commented about how it seems “amazing people in the arts” are “dying every other day.”
Singer Boy George also paid tribute, sharing a memory of when Meat Loaf turned him “upside down in a Chinese Restaurant in St Johns Wood.”
Country singer Travis Tritt tweeted about a “tremendous talent gone way too soon,” adding that the “world is a little less bright” after Meat Loaf’s death.
Meat Loaf’s career included music, movies, and TV
Born September 27, 1947, in Dallas, Texas, as Marvin Lee Aday, he became known as Meat Loaf due to a football coach calling him that based on his weight. His first band was named Meat Loaf Soul, and he’d keep the Meat Loaf name as a solo artist.
His music career spanned from the late 1960s until 2022. His first album arrived in 1977 with Bat Out of Hell, initially developed as a rock version of Peter Pan. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide and reached 14-times platinum status in the United States. It’s also a multi-platinum selling album in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
He’d release 12 albums during his career, including two follow-ups to Bat Out of Hell. His 1993 release Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell produced one of his biggest hits, with I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That), which ultimately won him a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance.
In addition to his chart-topping albums and songs, he appeared in many films and TV roles. That included his role as Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tiny in 1992’s Wayne’s World, and Robert “Bob” Paulsen in 1999’s Fight Club starring Brad Pitt.
He also appeared as himself or played various roles in TV shows, including The Celebrity Apprentice, Ghost Wars, WWE Raw, and House over the years.
Meat Loaf is one of several talents in entertainment to have passed away in recent weeks. Other celebrities that recently passed away include actor and comedian Bob Saget, Golden Girls icon Betty White, and the legendary Sidney Poitier.
My favorite rock singer a style and clarity all his own. We lost a good one too soon