Actor-musician Meat Loaf, who successfully melded a decades-long performance and recording career, has died at the age of 74.
The high-octane entertainer began his career fronting the west coast band Meat Loaf Soul in 1968. After landing a role in the Los Angeles production of Hair, he partnered with fellow cast member Shaun "Stoney" Murphy and recorded the album Stoney & Meatloaf before joining the Broadway cast of Hair in 1972.
Around this time, Meat Loaf met his long time collaborator Jim Steinman at The Public Theater, when he was cast in Steinman's More Than You Deserve. The pair would go on to create the best-selling album Bat Out of Hell together, written by Steinman and performed by Meat Loaf. The album, released in 1977, began years earlier as Neverland, a post apocalyptic version of Peter Panthat didn't really materialize as a stage show until 2017, when it opened as Bat Out of Hell at Manchester Opera House. It played the West End, Toronto, a U.S. tour and a limited run at City Center in 2019. Popular singles from the album that appear in the stage show include "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad."
Meat Loaf also originated the role of Eddie in the 1975 Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Show, and reprised the role in the cult classic film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975.
The success of the Bat Out of Hell album resulted in two sequel albums, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. Other film credits include Roadie, Wayne's World, and Fight Club.
Born Marvin Lee Aday, Meat Loaf is survived by his wife Deborah and daughters Pearl and Amanda. In their announcement of his death to fans on his Facebook page, they ended with "From his heart to your souls…don’t ever stop rocking!"
