Meat Loaf, one of the top selling musicians of all time, has died at 74
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Meat Loaf, the larger-than-life singer whose 1977 record “Bat Out of Hell” is one of the best-selling albums of all time, has died at age 74 , according to a statement on his verified Facebook page.
How Meat Loaf almost put Prince Andrew in his place: Tossed into a moat
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Meat Loaf apparently had Prince Andrew’s number long before everyone else did, telling the Duke of York at a royal charity event in 1987 that he’d shove him into a moat after he got angry that his wife, Sarah Ferguson, was paying too much attention to the American rocker.
Fans are recalling Meat Loaf’s encounter with Prince Andrew after they learned of the “Bat Out of Hell” singer’s death Thursday, at age 74, reportedly due to COVID-19.
As Meat Loaf told The Guardian in 2003, he spent time with Andrew and Sarah in 1987 while appearing in a televised British charity event called “It’s a Royal Knockout.” The show featured members of the royal family and celebrities, competing in games as teams to support different causes.
Meat Loaf ‘grabbed Prince Andrew and said ‘I don’t give a s**t who you are’’ after the Duke ’tried to push the singer into a moat’ in 1987https://t.co/mnyGWJOPdE — Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) January 21, 2022
Overall, Meat Loaf, whose real name was Marvin Lee Aday, said doing the show was “a lot of fun,” but the Texas-born musician also recalled how he and Sarah were placed on the same team and how the Duchess of York paid him a lot of “attention.”
He told The Guardian: “Fergie wasn’t exactly flirting with me, but she was paying attention to me, and I think Andrew got a little — I could be wrong, I’m just reading into this — I think he got a little jealous.”
“Anyway, he tried to push me in the water,” Meat Loaf continued. “He tried to push me in the moat. So I turned around and I grabbed him and he goes, ‘You can’t touch me. I’m royal.’ I said, ‘Well you try to push me in the moat, Jack, I don’t give a (expletive) who you are, you’re goin’ in the moat.’”
In 1987, Andrew and Sarah were newlyweds, having tied the knot in a globally televised royal wedding the year before.
For Meat Loaf, manhandling Queen Elizabeth II’s reportedly favorite son didn’t do him any favors with the royal family.
“Oh, the Queen hates me,” Meat Loaf told The Guardian. Writer Tim Dowling cheekily noted that, “with hindsight,” the musician’s take-down of Andrew may have been “the point which it all started to go wrong for the royal family.”
It may have been when things started to go downhill for Andrew in particular. Before his marriage, Andrew had developed a reputation as “randy Andy.” Like second sons of British monarchs, he had no clearly defined role as future king, which supposedly gave him license to act like a “wastrel,” do his share of partying and date his share of actresses, models and other pretty young women, The Guardian reported in 2019.
One of Andrew’s early serious girlfriends, American actress Koo Stark, had a brief, uncredited role as a bridesmaid in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” the 1975 cult musical comedy that also featured Meat Loaf, who played Eddie.
After Andrew’s stint as a navy helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands war, he was briefly known as the “Warrior prince” and a genuine heartthrob, The Guardian reported. After their wedding, he and Sarah also enjoyed a brief honeymoon in terms of popularity with the British public. That would have been around the time they encountered Meat Loaf on “It’s a Royal Knockout.”
Andrew and Sarah’s marriage wasn’t happy, even though they have remained close friends. They separated in 1992, the same year that Charles and Diana split.
Like Meat Loaf, others who have encountered Andrew over the years picked up on the fact that he could be arrogant and self-indulgent. These are the same qualities that may have contributed to his ill-fated friendship with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and the trouble he’s in now, facing a civil trial over allegations that he had sex with one of Epstein’s sex trafficking victims and losing his HRH title and military titles.
As royal biographer Catherine Mayer told The Guardian: “(Andrew) very quickly went from being a sort of bachelor prince to being somebody who has no use, no purpose, spends money too obviously, takes too many flights, gets his bad nickname, gets married, gets divorced. He went from being the golden prince to being the embarrassing uncle in a series of very inevitable steps. And that was before he became as embarrassing as he is now.”
Meat Loaf, musician and actor who appeared in Rocky Horror Picture Show, Fight Club and on Celebrity Apprentice, has died
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If you were the kind of kid who watched as many of those 24 MTV hours as possible you were probably too young to remember the song as a radio hit. And so it seemed louche and exotic and corny all at once — Meat Loaf’s ruffled tuxedo shirt, his tossed hair and flung scarf, his leering gaze and open-mouthed make-out with singer Karla DeVito and those brazenly sexual lyrics. We’re gonna go all the way tonight, we’re gonna go all the way, and tonight’s the night. It’s soooo ’70s! we thought from the distant vantage of 1982.
Meat Loaf – a life in pictures
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Meat Loaf, centre, and his longtime collaborator Jim Steinman, left, doing a radio interview at WMMR in Philadelphia, March 1977. He and the songwriter/lyricist Steinman worked together on that year’s Bat Out of Hell, which would be the singer’s true breakthrough
Photograph: MediaPunch/Rex/Shutterstock
Meat Loaf, Legendary Bat Out of Hell Rocker, Dead at 74
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RIP. Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images
Meat Loaf, the incomparable singer and actor whose 1977 debut, Bat Out of Hell, became one of the best-selling albums of all time, has died at the age of 74. His family announced his death on social media; no cause of death was given, though TMZ reports he became “seriously ill” with COVID-19 this week. “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,” the family wrote in a statement. “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!” Produced by the late Jim Steinman, Bat Out of Hell propelled Meat Loaf (born Marvin Lee Aday) into the rock stratosphere with operatic hit songs such as “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” The duo worked together on three additional albums, including 1993’s Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, which contained Meat Loaf’s sole Grammy-winning and Billboard No. 1 power ballad, “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).”
In addition to his music career — it’s estimated that his 12 albums sold more than 100 million copies — Meat Loaf appeared in dozens of television and film roles, perhaps most memorably as former delivery boy Eddie in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. His other credits include Wayne’s World, Fight Club, Spice World, and, more recently, the paranormal TV series Ghost Wars. In an interview last year, Meat Loaf remarked that he was looking forward to a creatively prosperous 2022 in regards to both new music and live performances. “My voice is in incredible shape,” he said at the time. “I don’t sound like my age at all.”
A number of musicians and celebrities have paid tribute to Meat Loaf following his death. “He was, as you might imagine, a larger than life character with a voice and stage presence to match and is one of those rare people who truly was a one off talent and personality,” wrote Bonnie Tyler, whose song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was written by Steinman. “I hope paradise is as you remember it from the dashboard light, Meat Loaf,” added Stephen Fry, who performed with him on SNL. Boy George also recalled the time when Meat Loaf “turned me upside down in a Chinese restaurant.” Read tributes from Cher, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and more below.
I am shocked & saddened by the sudden death of Meat Loaf. He was, as you might imagine, a larger than life character with a voice & stage presence to match & is one of those rare people who truly was a one off talent and personality. Rest In Peace — Bonnie Tyler (@BonnieTOfficial) January 21, 2022
Had So Much Fun With Meatloaf When We Did “Dead Ringer”. Am Very Sorry For His Family,Friends,& Fans. Am I imagining It, or Are Amazing Ppl In The Arts Dying every other Day⁉️
😢 — Cher (@cher) January 21, 2022
The vaults of heaven will be ringing with rock. RIP Meatloaf. Give my best to Jim. - ALW — Andrew Lloyd Webber (@OfficialALW) January 21, 2022
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 - https://t.co/RxoH36OYHw — Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) January 21, 2022
I don’t keep pictures from films around home. But I have this one in my office in a frame bc it makes me smile every time. It’s engraved ‘Love and Hugs, Meat’ it sums him up well. He was so funny. And gentle. And warm to everyone. A sweet soul. RIP Meat Loaf pic.twitter.com/aMrIgXByEc — Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton) January 21, 2022
To us he will always be ‘Bob’. Those were some wonderful months of laughter & irreverence. The hardest thing about working w/ Meat was getting through any of these ridiculous moments without cracking up. Him lying on the table playing dead then belting out Zeppelin. Good times 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZKnf7tPpAs — Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton) January 21, 2022
R.I.P Meatloaf. Love and prayers to all his family and close friends. He once turned me upside down in a Chinese Restaurant in St Johns Wood. — Boy George (@BoyGeorge) January 21, 2022
RIP Meatloaf. A good man with a big heart. — Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) January 21, 2022
Meatloaf Has Passed Away. So sad. He was one of a kind. Who could you compare him to?? No one. That’s how you define greatness. My condolences to his entire family. https://t.co/sjGd3UnI9M — Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) January 21, 2022
So saddened by the loss of my friend, Meatloaf. He was as exuberant, passionate and flamboyant as his music. The voice of an Angel and a rock icon. We had some times, my friend. I’ll miss you. My heartfelt condolences to your family and loved ones. #RIPMeatLoaf pic.twitter.com/4UP7zm3flv — Lou Diamond Phillips (@LouDPhillips) January 21, 2022
This post has been updated throughout.