Meat Loaf, born Michael Lee Aday in Dallas on 27 September 1947, built a distinctive career combining operatic drama with hard rock before becoming an international star. His success helped bring an unusually theatrical style of rock to a mass audience, while his work as an actor broadened his public profile.

He achieved seven Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including the 1993 number-one single “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”. His Bat Out of Hell album trilogy sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, and he appeared in over 50 films and television programmes, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Fight Club. Meat Loaf died in Nashville on 20 January 2022, aged 74; no official cause of death was announced.