Meat Loaf is stage name of Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1947). He is an American rock singer and actor of stage and screen. He is noted for his albums Bat Out of Hell I, II, and III and several famous songs from movies. The Neverland Express is the name of the band he fronts, as its lead singer. In 2001, he changed his first name to Michael.
Aday was born in Dallas, Texas. Despite setbacks (including bankruptcy, on more than one occasion), Meat Loaf is notable for the ultimate success of his music career, spawning some of the largest-selling albums of all time, and breaking several records for chart duration. Bat Out of Hell, the debut album which had been four years in the making, sold over 34 million copies, nearly as profitable as Michael Jackson's blockbuster Thriller, which sold 104 million copies. After almost 30 years, it still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and stayed on the charts for over 9 years. Each of the seven tracks on the album eventually charted as a single hit.
Although he enjoyed success with Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, Meat Loaf experienced some initial difficulty establishing a steady career within his native United States; however, he has retained iconic status and popularity in Europe, especially the UK, where he ranks 23rd for number of weeks overall spent on the charts, and is one of only two artists with an album never to have left the music charts. In Germany, Meat Loaf became notably popular following the release of Bat out of Hell II but has enjoyed most of his success among pop/rock fans. He ranked 96th on VH1's '100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock'.
Meat Loaf has also appeared in over 50 movies or television shows sometimes even as himself, or as characters resembling his onstage personality, such as his memorable role as Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He starred in the acclaimed feature film Fight Club, as Robert "Bob" Paulson; he is credited for this role as "Meat Loaf Aday".
Meat Loaf is said to have cheated death on numerous occasions, having crashed in a car which rolled over, been hit on the head with a shot put, and being struck by Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. In October 2006, his private jet had to make an emergency landing at London's Stansted Airport after his plane's forward landing gear failed.
He is the father-in-law of Anthrax rhythm guitarist Scott Ian.
Meat Loaf has been a vegetarian for many years.
In 2001, he changed his first name to Michael.
Meat Loaf is a supporter of the northern English football team Hartlepool United and, in 2003, the BBC reported he was seeking a residence in the nearby area. Meat Loaf currently resides just outside of Calabasas, California, near Saddle Peak and Calabasas Peak.
Meat Loaf also performs a considerable amount of charity work, and in June 2008 took part in a football penalty shoot-out competition on behalf of two cancer charities in Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K. He auctioned shots to the 100 highest bidders and then took his place between the goal posts. He also participates in celebrity golf tournaments.
Meat Loaf also has a popular YouTube channel, and has over 1,047 subscribers. He regularly posts vlogs to this channel, normally three or four at once. He also has over 11,660 followers on Twitter.
