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Michael Lee Aday (née Marvin Lee Aday), better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. His album Bat out of Hell is the sixth best selling album of all time and still sells close to 4,000 copies per week over 30 years after its release. On House, M.D., he portrayed Eddie Novack, the terminal cancer patient and husband of Charlotte Novack.

Meat Loaf worked in movies, music, and theatre in the early 1970s, including a featured role in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. However, in 1974, he decided to concentrate solely on music. Five years in the making, Bat out of Hell initially had difficulty finding a record company willing to release it, primarily because all of its single tracks were longer than four minutes in an era where 3 minute singles were the norm. Even when released in 1977, it received mixed reviews and was never ranked higher than #9 (and even then that happened four years after it was released), but it stayed in the Top 100 in most countries for over eight years. Its continued popularity and appearance on the Billboard Top 100 led Billboard to eventually create the "Catalogue 100" so that the top 100 could concentrate solely on newer material. However, three singles from the album cracked the Billboard Top 40, including "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", which weighed in at well over 8 minutes.

However, follow up success came harder. After a disastrous performance on Saturday Night Live, Meat Loaf suffered what he termed a "nervous breakdown" which resulted in a lengthy memory lapse. He continued to perform, but his records received limited air play and it was felt that Hell was merely a one-shot bit of luck. However, working with many of the same people he worked with on Hell, in 1993 he released Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, which quickly reached #1 and contained the #1 single "I Would Do Anything For Love". Hell II sold over 15 million copies, introduced him to a new generation of fans, and made him a lasting big-draw concert act. His subsequent releases have continued to make him a success well into the 21st century.

Meat Loaf has also had a solid acting career, appearing in over 50 roles including featured roles in Motorama, Wayne's World, Fight Club, Trapped, The 51st State, Bloodrayne, Urban Decay, Citizen Jane, and Burning Bright.

Connections[]

Official website

Meat Loaf at IMDB

Meat Loaf at Wikipedia

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