Meat Loaf fans are in mourning after news that the legendary singer has died.
The star, born Marvin Lee Aday, passed away aged 74, with his wife Deborah at his side.
The father-of-two sold more than 100 million records worldwide with his epic Bat Out of Hell among the 35 best-selling albums in U.S. history.
His Grammy-award winning I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) reached number one in 28 countries.
However while Meat Loaf enjoyed immense success career-wise, his path to stardom was far from smooth.
Childhood
Meat Loaf was born on September 27, 1947, in Dallas, Texas.
The star was said to have been bullied in school because of his weight, as he told Rolling Stone : "Oh, man, I was tormented."
However it was the singer's size which was said to have given him his legendary stage name.
“Meat,” he says, “came about on the fourth day of me being alive.”
The singer's father said of his baby son: “He looks like meat" - and the rest is history.
Sadly, Meat Loaf's mother Wilma died of cancer in 1966 when the star was still a teenager.
He was said to be so crippled by grief that according to Classic Rock Magazine, "he grabbed her body and screamed at the undertakers, 'You can't have her!'" during the funeral.
It has been reported that Meat Loaf's father tried to attack him with a knife shortly after his mother's death.
The singer told Rolling Stone: “I rolled off the bed just as he put that knife right in the mattress.
“I fought for my life. Apparently I broke three ribs and his nose, and left the house barefoot in a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt.”
Career
Meat Loaf formed his first band Meat Loaf Soul in Los Angeles.
The group's first gig was in 1968 at the Cave, opening for Van Morrison's band Them.
The singer later joined the LA production of the musical Hair, however he claimed he was struggling to be taken seriously, comparing his treatment to that of a "circus clown".
However Meat Loaf had the last laugh ending up starring in 65 films during his career and was best known for his role in the 1975 film version of cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
He also had a fabulous cameo in Spiceworld: The Movie as the bus driver.
The star's debut album Bat Out of Hell was released in 1977 and remains one of the best-selling albums of all time, with more than 14 million sold.
His epic I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) became the best-selling single of 1993 in the UK.
Celebrity Apprentice fight
Meat Loaf starred in the Celebrity Apprentice in 2011, but got caught in a slanging match with actor Gary Busey over a painting.
The team were told to create art to be sold at a gallery, however Meat Loaf flew into a rage when he accused the Point Break actor of sabotage.
He fumed: “Ok! Mother*****r! I bought those mother******g paints!"
As Gary pleaded otherwise Meat Loaf raged: “You don't want to f*****g start with me. You look in my eye! I am the last person you ever want to f*** with."
Speaking about the incident later he claimed : “Well, “I’m not an internal guy. You p**s me off, you’re gonna know it.”
Health issues
Meat Loaf had spoken candidly about his health issues, including asthma which caused him to collapse on stage during a concert in Pittsburgh in 2011.
Prior to this he collapsed at Wembley Arena in London in 2003 and was admitted to hospital.
The star also passed out during his the 2016 show in Canada, when he claimed back pain was shooting through him “like a sword”.
Meat Loaf ended up dropping his microphone after the incident however his voice could still be heard singing with some fans suggesting that he’d been lip-syncing.
Replying to the suggestion he told Rolling Stone: “Morons!”
"Before you make a comment, learn something about music. Learn something about tone."
Tributes
A host of famous faces have paid tribute to the singer after his wife Deborah broke the sad news about the star's passing.
Piers Morgan wrote on his Twitter page: ‘RIP Meat Loaf, 74. One of rock music’s all-time great characters whose seminal iconic album Bat Out Of Hell is one of the biggest-selling records in history.
‘A wondrously talented, flamboyant, funny, outrageous and rebellious chameleon. Sad news.’
Zoe Ball said: "He was such an incredible force of nature, I was so lucky to interview him in my time,’ Ball said on her Radio 2 Breakfast Show."
While actor Stephen Fry tweeted: “I hope paradise is as you remember it from the dashboard light, Meat Loaf.
“Had a fun time performing a sketch with him on Saturday Live way back in the last century.”
