Tributes Pour In After Meat Loaf's Death

Michael Lee Aday, known as Meat Loaf, is an American rockstar and actor famous for his powerful wide-range singing voice. The singer was among the most famous artists with a music career spanning over six decades.

He has sold millions of albums worldwide, including his most popular album, the "Bat Out of Hell" trilogy. They were famous for their operatic rock style and their titular hit single. Even with over four decades since its release, the first album has over 200,000 sales annually.

The beloved musician was reported dead earlier this week. The cause of death is assumed to be Covid; however, Meat Loaf's family or representatives hasn't confirmed the claim. His wife and daughters and some close friends were reportedly by his side when he died.

Meat Loaf was a generally celebrated star who had over 100 million album sales under his belt and was in movies like "Fight Club" and "Wayne's World."

The rockstar was also known for his unusual music videos like the epic "Beauty and the Beast," which was styled "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)." "Bat Out of Hell" was also adapted into a stage musical.

Meat Loaf allegedly got his iconic stage name from his father, who said he resembled red meat when he was born. His high school football coach also had a hand in the title when he named the singer "The Loaf" as a teen.

Deadline confirmed that the famous star passed away on January 20, 2022, at 74. His death came after canceling a business dinner earlier in the week. Meat Loaf died surrounded by his loved ones. In a statement, they mentioned that they knew what he meant to people worldwide and appreciated the love and support.

The statement read, "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."

In a manner very similar to the rockstar, they added, "From his heart to your souls… don't ever stop rocking!" According to TMZ, the writer and producer of Meat Loaf's famed "Bat Out of Hell" trilogy, Jim Steinman died months prior in April 201.

Several stars paid tribute to the actor when news of his death became public. Cher did a duet with him in 1981 on "Dead Ringer for Love" and recalled her time with him as "so much fun." Brian May described him on Instagram as "Always full of madness, with the innocent sense of naughtiness of a five-year-old, Meat was forever young."

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Adam Lambert, "Queen" current frontman, said he was "a gentle-hearted powerhouse rockstar forever and ever." Fellow rockstar Alice Cooper said, "Meat Loaf was one of the greatest voices in rock 'n' roll, and he was certainly one of my closest friends in the business. There was nobody, and I mean nobody, like Meat Loaf. His shoes can never be filled."

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British vocalist Lorraine Crosby described the rockstar to BBC News as "a great man" that was really generous to everyone. She said he was "larger than life" with a temper but never held a grudge. She said, "He didn't fall out with you for long. He'd say his bit, and then everything would be fine the next day."

Just months before his death, Meat Loaf revealed that he was "scared to death" of the COVID pandemic. However, he claimed he would "rather die" before facing another lockdown. His vaccination status isn't known, but months before he died, the singer declared, "If I die, I die – I'm not going to be controlled."

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the actor said that face masks were a "nuisance," and he had no issues hugging people in the middle of the pandemic.

A reporter from the publication asked Meat Loaf, "You're not afraid (of Covid)?" To which he replied, "Oh, I'm scared to death! You kidding me? But I'm sorry, I understood stopping life for a little while, but they cannot continue to stop living because of politics. And right now, they're stopping because of politics."