He Lived Dramatically
While his name may conjure up visions of a favorite family meal, the reality of being Meat Loaf was not always so easy to swallow. He was an incredibly troubled star who lived with a moniker that was a constant reminder of cruel taunts from school chums and from a dad who tragically tried to end his son’s life. But Meat Loaf poured all his childhood trauma into explosive tunes that were as operatic as they were Rock & Roll. But then one day he faced a challenge he could not have seen coming.
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1. He Was A Bright Red Baby
Meat Loaf came into this world on September 27, 1947, in Dallas, Texas, as Marvin Lee Aday. When he was born, his skin was a bright red color. So much so that his father, Orvis Wesley Aday, thought he looked like "nine pounds of ground chuck". Dad even had staff at the hospital place a name card that read “meat” near his crib.
This was just the start of the references to Aday being meat.
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2. He Got A Nickname
As he grew up, Marvin Lee soon became ML. Then he started getting heavier and heavier. In the seventh grade, he was just 157 cm (5’2”) and already 110 kg (240 lbs). This prompted one of his classmates to change ML to “Meat Loaf”. When an angry football coach yelled, "Get off my foot, you hunk of meatloaf!", the name stuck.
But there were some much darker things happening in Meat Loaf’s childhood.
3. He Had A Difficult Childhood
Meat Loaf’s father was in WWII and got medically discharged for his injuries. This started a habit of binge drinking that continued into his time as a father. Sometimes, when they couldn’t locate dad, Meat Loaf and his mother would have a heartbreaking task: They’d drive around Dallas looking for him in bars.
But the darkness was not just in his own family.
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4. He Was Close To A Tragedy
On November 22, 1963, a 16-year-old Meat Loaf went down to Dallas Love Field to welcome President John F Kennedy to Dallas. Later that day, when Meat Loaf heard about the tragic shooting of the President, he rushed to the hospital in time to see Kennedy’s wife, Jacqueline, getting out of a car covered in her husband’s blood.
But this shocking connection to Kennedy didn’t stop there.
5. He Told Some Hard-To-Believe Stories
Later in his life, Meat Loaf would add something to this story about Kennedy. He said that during the Kennedy crisis in Dallas, the Secret Service actually “commandeered” his vehicle. The thing about Meat Loaf was that sometimes his stories became more and more colorful as time progressed.
But no one would make up this next story.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
6. He Had To Get Away
When Meat Loaf was 19 years old, his mother passed due to cancer. Dad seemed to have trouble controlling Meat Loaf and in one heartbreaking incident went at his son with a blade. Luckily, Meat Loaf had inherited money from his mother, and he used it to plan his escape from his cruel and unpredictable father. He got his own apartment and saved himself.
But with no parents, Meat Loaf went to a bad place.
7. He Needed Rescuing
The good news was that Meat Loaf was away from his violent father. The bad news was that he stayed by himself, locked up in his apartment, for a shocking three and a half months. Eventually, one of his friends came to the rescue and pulled him out of his self-imposed lockup.
Meat Loaf needed a plan. He decided to head to LA to start a band.
8. He Didn’t Want To Go
Before he could get his band started, Meat Loaf faced the possibility of Uncle Sam calling his name to join the men already in Vietnam. To avoid this, he purposefully gained 27 kg (60lbs). It was a great plan except it didn't work. He got his letter to appear anyway and decided the best plan was just to ignore it.
Meat Loaf put all thoughts of going to Vietnam behind him and focused on his music career.
9. He Was Ready To Perform
To get this career going, Meat Loaf started the band Meat Loaf Soul. By 1968, they were ready for their first concert. It was at the Cave in Huntington Beach, California, and they opened for Van Morrison’s band Them. Sadly, at this time, Meat Loaf felt that in the music business, people were treating him like a “circus clown”.
A dejected Meat Loaf decided to redirect his energy into something else.
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10. He Did A Musical
After releasing the single “Once Upon a Time” Meat Loaf took a break from his band and tried musicals. His first professional production was in an LA production of Hair. This proved to be a wise career move as it got him noticed by the right people. Soon, Meat Loaf had Motown knocking on his door.
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11. He Got Paired Up
Motown had the idea to pair Meat Loaf up with a partner. They chose Shaun “Stoney” Murphy, who had also appeared in Hair. Motown recorded an album with the duo that they called Stoney & Meatloaf. And yes, they thoughtlessly made “Meat Loaf” into one word. But that wasn’t the only thing that Motown did that made Meat Loaf mad.
Ronden Talent Management, Wikimedia Commons
12. They Edited Him Out
One song that Meat Loaf liked on his album with Stoney was “Who is the Leader of the People?” Well, Motown turned around and edited out the vocals that he and Stoney provided and put two other voices in. Meat Loaf quickly departed Motown and moved to Freeland, Michigan.
He was going to do it his way.
13. He Went High-Brow
After appearing 80 times as an opening act at the Grande Ballroom in Freeland, Meat Loaf turned his focus back on musical theater. He appeared in Hair again, this time on Broadway. He also appeared in the Vietnam-set More Than You Deserve and even did Shakespeare in the Park in NYC.
While Shakespeare sounds very high-brow, his next production was definitely on the low end.
14. He Was In The Rocky Horror Show
At this time, there was nothing on stage more outrageous than The Rocky Horror Show. It originated on the London Stage, and Meat Loaf was lucky enough to be in the cast as both Eddie and Dr Scott in the first LA run of the musical. When they made the film version, Meat Loaf lost the part of Dr Scott. He later explained that this was the reason the film was inferior to the stage version.
But Meat Loaf had not forgotten about his music career.
Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection, Getty Images
15. He Was Theatrical
Back when working on More Than You Deserve, Meat Loaf met writer Jim Steinman. Steinman worked with Meat Loaf on his first album as a solo artist. Meat Loaf later said that his collaboration with Steinman was like this: "I was the actor, Jim was the playwright." You see, they were not making a typical album. It was going to be theatrical.
But they had one big problem.
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16. No One Wanted Them
Meat Loaf and Steinman’s ideas for the album were a little out there, and no record company wanted to sign them on. The thing was, the style of the album did not fit neatly into a category of music. When they shopped around for record companies, they didn’t just meet with rejection. They met with just plain rudeness.
17. They Got Told Off
The story goes that while auditioning for Clive Davis at Arista, Davis decided to tell Meat Loaf and Steinman what he thought was the hard truth. He started off by telling Meat Loaf that actors can’t make albums. Then he told Steinman to leave the studio and go buy some records because he felt that Steinman didn’t know what rock and roll was.
No one seemed to get their concept. It looked like this album was going nowhere.
18. He Found An Angel
Steve Popovich was instrumental in the careers of superstars like The Jacksons and Bruce Springsteen. In 1977, he took a chance on Meat Loaf. Popovich released the album Meat Loaf put together with Steinman, and then Meat Loaf went on tour. A spot as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live helped to boost Meat Loaf’s presence.
And then it all went horribly wrong.
19. He They Yelled At Him
One of Meat Loaf’s first gigs as a solo artist was in Chicago. He was the opening act for Cheap Trick, and the audience was far from positive about the experience. In fact, they swore, and threw things onto the stage. Worse still, they screamed out insults about Meat Loaf’s weight.
But there was more drama during this tour. And it was from Meat Loaf himself.
20. He Used His Fists
Meat Loaf had the bad habit of hiring friends who had little to no experience. One guy he hired was a tour bus driver who refused to listen when Meat Loaf told him to slow down. To settle the disagreement, the two men got on to the side of the highway and started pounding on each other. Once the fight was over, they became friends again.
But there was more rough stuff waiting for Meat Loaf on stage.
21. He Disappeared
Meat Loaf was performing on a stage in Ottawa, Canada, when something went horribly wrong. He was really trying to amp up his on-stage theatrics, but he may have gone too far. The audience couldn’t help but notice that in the middle of a song, Meat Loaf disappeared. Meat Loaf fans filled the venue, and they all wondered what happened. Moments later, there was an announcement. Meat Load had fallen off the stage.
But it was worse than just a fall.
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22. He Had To Take A Seat
After the announcement that Meat Loaf had fallen off the stage, the concert abruptly ended. You see, in the fall he’d actually broken his leg. Sadly, it seemed that Ottawa would be the last stop on his tour. But no. Meat Loaf wouldn’t go down that easily. He finished his tour singing from a wheelchair.
Around this time, Meat Loaf had time for an unconventional romance.
23. He Didn’t Have A Ring
You could say that Meat Loaf was a bear of a man. Well, in 1979, he proposed to Leslie G Edmonds in a bear-like manner. Instead of a ring, he handed her an entire salmon. The couple married, and the officiating priest seemed so old that he couldn’t distinguish Meat Loaf from the bride. It seemed like Meat Loaf could not take anything seriously.
But his records were doing more than a serious amount of sales.
24. He Sold A Lot of Albums
The thing was, Meat Loaf’s debut album was selling like hot cakes. It would eventually go on to sell somewhere around 43 million copies. In Australia, it knocked the Bee Gees off the top spot and was second only to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours in the UK. In all, the album was in the top 200 in the UK for 522 weeks.
But all was not well on tour.
25. He Lost It
During the tour, Meat Loaf’s relationship with Steinman deteriorated. He also found that touring was stressful, and he turned to booze and substance use to combat that. With all this going on, it came as no surprise when the worst thing happened. By the end of the tour, Meat Loaf lost his voice.
This wouldn’t be good for the second album.
26. He Starred In A Dud
While he waited for his voice to come back, Meat Loaf decided to star in a movie. This was Alan Rudolf’s Roadie where Meat Loaf plays a truck driver who becomes a roadie for a rock and roll band. Despite numerous cameos by musicians like Alice Cooper and Deborah Harry, this film was a critical failure that lost money.
Luckily, Meat Loaf still had a music career to fall back on.
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27. He Couldn’t Match The First
Meat Loaf and Steinman were not getting along but because of their contract, they still had to work together. Meat Loaf brought his A-game. He had his voice back, and he’d also beaten his addiction. Steinman was also ready. He had five new songs for the album, and Cher even joined in for one of the tracks. Sadly, this second attempt was a huge disappointment.
But there was more disappointment in Meat Loaf’s future.
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28. He Missed Out On Some Hits
For his third album, Meat Loaf was going to have to work without Steinman. You see, the record company claimed they couldn’t afford him. This was bad news as Steinman had two great songs for Meat Loaf: “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”. Steinman gave these songs to Bonnie Tyler and Air Supply, and they became monster hits.
Without Steinman, Meat Loaf had to find another way to make hit songs.
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29. He Needed Some Hits
Without Steinman, Meat Loaf needed a songwriter who could produce hits. He found various writers and even wrote some songs himself. He later admitted that he wasn’t so good at song writing and wasn't happy with his output. Midnight at the Lost and Found was a huge disappointment for both critics and fans.
But this was nothing compared to what would happen next.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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)
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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.
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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
