Meat Loaf was a singer in an actor’s body. When he sang he was always playing a different character in his head.
Michael Lee Aday, who received the nickname Meat Loaf as a child, died January 20 from COVID 19. He was 74.
Early in his career, Meat Loaf found more success singing in musicals than singing in rock bands. He had roles in “Hair,” “Rainbow,” and Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” Those led to the role of Eddie in both the play and movie “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Along the way, Meat Loaf met songwriter/producer Jim Steinman. He was the brainchild of the 1977 album, “Bat Out of Hell.” It's one of the five best-selling records of all time, with successful singles like: “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” along with the title song “Bat Out of Hell.” 43 million copies have been sold. The album led to two sequels.
Meat Loaf had a parallel acting career. He had roles in “Wayne’s World” and “Fight Club.” He appeared in several television shows.
He is survived by his wife and two daughters from a previous marriage.
