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Grammy-winning American singer Meat Loaf has died at the age of 74. The cause of death is unknown at this time.
Meat Loaf, whose birth name was Marvin Lee Aday, won a 1994 Grammy Award for the song “I’d Do Anything For Love.”
He sold 43 million copies of his 1977 album Bat Out Of Hell, which is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
He also appeared in over 65 movies, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Fight Club.
A statement about his passing reads: “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!”
More from NPR:
Bat Out Of Hell was a landmark album for the singer and rock n’ roll overall, with one critic describing it as “like Springsteen on Broadway on steroids.” Rolling Stone listed the album at 343 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time published in 2003 and 2012, but was left off its 2020 revision.
Meat Loaf’s death comes one year after composer, lyricist, and record producer Jim Steinman, his creative partner on Bat Out Of Hell and many other projects, died of kidney failure.
After a long fallout with Steinman, the pair reunited to work on 1993’s Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, which birthed Meat Loaf’s most iconic hit, “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).” The album sold over 15 million copies.
In 2017, Bat Out Of Hell was adapted by Steinman into a stage production, Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical. It opened at Manchester’s Opera House in the U.K. and later made its U.S. debut at New York City Center.
