In Memoriam
Meat Loaf
September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022 · aged 74
Hard Rock · Theatrical Rock
Marvin Lee Aday, universally known as Meat Loaf, was rock music's ultimate operatic showman. Born in Texas in 1947, he possessed a massive, soaring tenor voice perfectly suited for the hyper-dramatic, Wagnerian rock epics composed by his lifelong collaborator, Jim Steinman. Their 1977 masterpiece, 'Bat Out of Hell,' was initially rejected by numerous record labels for being too theatrical and bombastic; it eventually went on to become one of the best-selling albums in human history, shifting over 43 million copies. Meat Loaf poured every ounce of his physical and emotional being into his performances, turning songs like 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' into sweaty, exhausting theatrical productions. After fading from the spotlight in the 1980s, he orchestrated one of the greatest comebacks in music history with the 1993 global smash 'I'd Do Anything for Love.' After struggling with numerous health issues in his later years, he died on January 20, 2022, at the age of 74. There will never be another rock star quite so gloriously larger than life.
Milestones
Bat Out of Hell, I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That), Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Chart legacy
- 1993: I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) (UK #1), I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) (DE #11), I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) (US #36)
- 1994: Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through (UK #43)
Also remembered in 2022
- Christine McVie (1943–2022)
- Coolio (1963–2022)
- Jerry Lee Lewis (1935–2022)
- Taylor Hawkins (1972–2022)