30. He Was Broke
Sure, Meat Loaf’s second and third albums had tanked, but his first one sold 43 million copies. If you do the math, Meat Loaf should have taken in somewhere between $40-$60 million just based on record sales. So, when Meat Loaf announced that he had gone broke, people reacted with confusion.
What had happened to all that money?
31. There Were Hidden Traps
Meat Loaf’s contract was with Epic Records, and many believe that the contract had hidden traps that would bilk Meat Loaf out of the money owed to him. The contract also had the publishing rights to the songs in a split with Steinman. This would make things a lot more complicated and cost Meat Loaf even more money.
This sounded like another one of Meat Loaf’s colorful stories. But he had someone to back him up.
32. He Didn’t Get Paid
Steinman said in 1993 that neither he nor Meat Loaf had received any money on their first album since 1980. The album came out in 1977, so that means that they only received money on the first three years of sales. This album eventually sold almost as many copies as Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Jackson had Neverland Ranch to show for his earnings. Meat Loaf, well, he had almost nothing.
Meat Loaf was completely broke and had to do something extreme.
33. He Got Sued
It seems absolutely crazy, considering the successor to Meat Loaf’s first album, but in 1983, Meat Loaf filed for bankruptcy. There were an astounding 45 lawsuits against him that came in at a shocking $80 million. Some of these were from his former partner, Steinman, and others were from the record company. Sadly, this bankruptcy meant something even more devastating. He had lost the rights to his songs.
Meat Loaf needed a new lease on life.
Ron Pownall Photography, Getty Images
34. He Got Some Royal Attention
After surviving his courtroom battles, Meat Loaf had to get away. He moved to the UK, but he was soon in trouble. In 1987, he appeared in a charity tournament called It’s A Royal Knockout. This event had celebs like Meat Loaf and also members of the royal family dressed in fancy costumes. Meat Loaf later said that he was pretty sure that Sarah Ferguson, the wife of Prince Andrew, was paying him some attention.
According to Meat Loaf, the Prince tried to get his revenge.
35. He Confronted A Prince
The story goes that Prince Andrew was not okay with the attention that his wife Fergie, was sending Meat Loaf’s way, so he tried to throw Meat Loaf into a nearby moat. When Meat Loaf fought back, Prince Andrew apparently said, “You can't touch me. I'm royal.” Meat Loaf didn’t harm the now disgraced Prince, but he believed that the Queen hated him for roughing up her son.
After these royal shenanigans, Meat Loaf decided to get serious about music once again.
BSR Entertainment, Getty Images
36. They Didn’t Understand The Lyrics
Meat Loaf eventually reconciled with Steinman, and the two made a follow up album to their incredibly popular first one. One of the songs that confirmed Meat Loaf’s return to success was “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”. But there was some confusion about what the thing was that he wouldn’t do for love.
In fact, even Meat Loaf and Steinman couldn’t quite agree.
37. He Lost A Bet
Meat Loaf had a bet with Steinman about whether fans would understand what the “that” was in “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”. The thing is, the answer is very clear in the lyrics. It's “I’ll never lie to you,” “I’ll never forget the way you feel right now,” and “I’ll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life”. Meat Loaf lost a hundred dollars when it became clear that audiences didn’t get it at all.
But there was something more seriously wrong with this song.
Ron Pownall Photography, Getty Images
38. He Got Accused
Almost spoiling Meat Loaf’s success was an accusation that Steinman had borrowed “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” from writer Jon Dunmore Sinclair. The two parties eventually settled out of court. Meat Loaf’s lawyers later said that the only similarity between the two songs is the line “I would do anything for…”.
As it turned out, Meat Loaf would do anything to be in this next film.
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39. He Wasn’t Heavy Enough
In 1999, Meat Loaf appeared opposite Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in Fight Club. Now, Meat Loaf had always been on the heavy side, but he apparently wasn’t heavy enough for director David Fincher. Fincher put Meat Loaf in a fat suit filled with birdseed that added more than 45 kg (100 pounds) to his weight.
But this fat suit caused some problems on the set.
Screenshot from Fight Club, 20th Century Fox (1999)
40. He Broke A Rule
Most of us know that there are rules about Fight Club. We all remember the rule that we don’t talk about Fight Club. Well, rule number six—no shirts, no shoes–proved to be a problem. You see, Meat Loaf was hiding his fat suit under his shirt. So, he goes down as the only character who got to break one of the rules of Fight Club.
And speaking of breaking things. Here’s Meat Loaf’s list of injuries.
Screenshot from Fight Club, 20th Century Fox (1999)
41. He’s Had A Lot Of Injuries
Meat Loaf’s list of accidental injuries is as long as a broken arm. In addition to his 18 concussions, he said that he survived an emergency landing in a plane and also falling three stories from a building. He also claims to have been hit in the head with a shot put. Perhaps the best one is where his head got stuck in a steering wheel following a car crash.
But there was something even more dangerous that happened to Meat Loaf in a car.
42. He Had A Brush With Evil
Meat Loaf had some interesting stories to tell in his 1999 memoir. One was that he picked up a random guy who needed a ride. This guy was actually going to Beach Boy Dennis Wilson’s house. The guy was odd and told Meat Loaf that the world was going to end and that he was going to go with it. It was only much later that Meat Loaf realized that this random stranger was actually the notorious Charles Manson.
While this is eerie enough, Meat Loaf also had a brush with the supernatural.
Fitzgerald Whitney, Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
43. He Believed In Ghosts
When he was recording his first album, Meat Loaf told the crew that he saw a groupie watching from the balcony. He said she was blonde and wearing a white dress. When the crew went to investigate, they found no one there at all. This incident caused Meat Loaf to be a firm believer in ghosts. He said, “I’ve seen them—I’ve been around them”.
While Meat Loaf may have believed in ghosts, there’s something else he thinks is 100% myth.
44. He Went Head-To-Head With A Teen
In 2010, Meat Loaf felt obliged to give his opinion about climate change. The short summary is that he didn’t believe it existed. But the outspoken Meat Loaf just couldn’t let it stop there. He just had to take on environmental activist Greta Thunberg. He said that someone had brainwashed her. Thunberg, just 19 at the time, kindly asked Meat Loaf and everyone else to simply look at the facts.
But there was one unexpected way that Meat Loaf was kind to the planet.
Anders Hellberg, Wikimedia Commons
45. He Tried Vegetarianism
While his name may inspire feelings of dinner table carnage, Meat Loaf was actually a vegetarian for more than 10 years. Of course, there was some confusion about this. In fact, the famously vegetarian kd lang reportedly refused to meet Meat Loaf based on his meaty name alone.
But giving up meat had not helped his health much.
46. He Fell Flat
At a 2016 concert in Edmonton, Canada, Meat Loaf had a health scare. He collapsed on the stage due to “severe dehydration”. Strangely, while he lay flat out on the stage, his voice kept on performing. Many assumed this was proof that he had been lip synching, but Meat Loaf said it wasn’t true.
But another truth was out there. Meat Loaf was not well.
47. His Health Declined
Following this incident. Meat Loaf went through physical therapy, acupuncture, and even emergency back surgery. In 2019, he fell off a stage and ended up in a wheelchair again. A few short years later, he would find himself back in a hospital bed.
This time would be the last.
Debra L Rothenberg, Getty Images
48. They Rushed To See Him
In early 2022, Meat Loaf’s daughter shared online that her father was sick, and that they made it just in time to say goodbye. He passed on January 20, 2022 at the age of 74.
The world was ready to mourn the loss of a great talent.
49. They Paid Their Respect
Soon, tributes came out from people like Boy George, Bonnie Tyler, and Cher. The Queen’s Guard even performed their own version of “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”. I guess the Queen didn’t hate him after all.
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
