{"id":1477,"date":"2022-01-21T17:34:37","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T17:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=1477"},"modified":"2022-01-21T17:34:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T17:34:37","slug":"if-you-have-to-call-me-anything-call-me-a-chameleon-a-look-back-at-meat-loafs-life-and-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2022\/01\/if-you-have-to-call-me-anything-call-me-a-chameleon-a-look-back-at-meat-loafs-life-and-legacy.html","title":{"rendered":"\u2018If You Have to Call Me Anything, Call Me a Chameleon\u2019: A Look Back at Meat Loaf\u2019s Life and Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grammy Award-winning musician Michael Lee Aday, famously known as Meat Loaf<\/a>, made a significant mark on the music and film industry.<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Marvin Lee Aday had a difficult upbringing. His father, a police officer, would often go on drinking binges resulting in violent behavior that he and his mother would have to deal with. Aday was a victim of bullying in elementary and middle school because of his weight. The teasing event prompted him to officially request his name change from Marvin to Michael in court which the judge granted.<\/p>\n

Despite his troubling childhood, Meat Loaf remained ambitious for the future. After graduating high school, he attended the Christian college North Texas State University (presently known as the University of North Texas).<\/p>\n

In 1967, the Dallas native moved to Los Angeles to pursue his entertainment dreams. Shortly after settling in the \u2018City of Angels,\u2019 he started working as a bouncer and began his first band, \u201cMeat Loaf Soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

After residing in LA for a few years, Meat Loaf moved to New York in 1970, where he had a successful run on Broadway. He landed roles in the Broadway musicals \u201cRockabye Hamlet,\u201d \u201cHair,\u201d and \u201cThe Rocky Horror Show.\u201d The singer also had parts in many Off-Broadway shows such as \u201cMore Than You Deserve,\u201d \u201cRainbow,\u201d \u201cNational Lampoon Show,\u201d the New York Shakespeare Festival\u2019s production of \u201cAs You Like It,\u201d and many more productions. His debut role that skyrocketed his film career was in the 1975 cult classic movie musical \u201cRocky Horror Picture Show.\u201d He starred in the popular movies \u201cWayne\u2019s World\u201d and \u201cFight Club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Known for his powerful voice and theatrical concert performances, Meat Loaf was a rock music legend. In 1977, he and songwriter Jim Steinman released their \u2018opera rock\u2019 album titled \u201cBat Out Of Hell.\u201d The album broke records and sold over 50 million copies worldwide, tying second place with AC\/DC for the top-selling record of all time. The platinum album featured the hit songs \u201cTwo Out of Three Ain\u2019t Bad\u201d and \u201cParadise by the Dashboard Light.\u201d After getting back together in 1993, Meat Loaf and Steinman released a second album, \u201cBat Out Of Hell II,\u201d which became the top-selling album in the US, UK, and 26 other countries. Meat Loaf\u2019s singles and albums earned him many awards, including a Grammy and Brit awards.<\/p>\n

Meat said in an interview with \u201cPopMatters\u201d that his music is not about being famous despite all of his success and notoriety. \u201cIt\u2019s like I don\u2019t want to be a star. I don\u2019t want to walk on a red carpet. I don\u2019t care if my pictures are in People magazine. I don\u2019t care about that. I care about my work. My work and my audiences are the most important thing[s] in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meat Loaf often proclaimed his strong Christian faith. Growing up in Dallas, he frequently attended church and sang in the choir.<\/p>\n

He once stated that God had a purpose for his life, \u201cGod put me on this Earth to help my fellow man, to have a kind heart, to be a good person.\u201d<\/p>\n

His faith is evident in some of his songs with religious meanings such as \u201cFall from Grace\u201d and \u201c40 Days\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be honest with you. I pray every night, and if I skip a night, I apologize for skipping it\u201d, he shared in an interview with \u201cPopMatters.\u201d \u201cI thank [God] for my blessings because I\u2019ve been very blessed, and I pray for my family, and I pray for people who are ill, who I find out are sick or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tragically, the rock and roll singer passed away on January 20, 2022. He was 74 years old. The cause of death was not given when his manager, Michael Green, announced the unfortunate news of his passing.<\/p>\n

He is survived by his wife Deborah and his two children, Pearl and Amanda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The multi-platinum singer behind \u201cParadise by the Dashboard Light\u201d once stated that God had a purpose for his life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":642,"featured_media":1480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[202,62,220,568,571,119],"class_list":["post-1477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-singer","tag-celebrity","tag-celebrity-death","tag-christian-celebrity","tag-meat-loaf","tag-rock-singer","tag-singer"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018If You Have to Call Me Anything, Call Me a Chameleon\u2019: A Look Back at Meat Loaf\u2019s Life and Legacy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The multi-platinum singer behind \u201cParadise by the Dashboard Light\u201d made his mark on the music and film industry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta 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