Singer and actor Meat Loaf, known for his smash hit "Bat Out of Hell" trilogy albums, has passed away on January 20, 2022.

Meat Loaf has given purposefully contradicting information over the years about the source of his unique stage name. He said that he "wanted to maintain a constant lie". The ability to keep a sense of humor about himself and his fame is one of the things that fans remember fondly about the singer.

Meat Loaf started his career in the Sixties in a band called "Meat Loaf Soul", which opened for Van Morrison's band Them. Later the band name would fluctuate between Popcorn Blizzard and The Floating Circus. During this time they opened The Who, The Stooges, Grateful Dead, and more.

Meat Loaf found himself gaining more mainstream fame after a much-praised performance in Hair in 1971. A few years later he would appear as the role that many still remember him for — Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

He was originally cast in the stage musical version as both Eddie and Dr. Scott, but when the musical was turned into a movie, he only played Eddie. Meat Loaf sang one of the best-known songs from the movie, "Hot Patootie", where his deep-frozen motorcyclist gets all the Transylvanians dancing. While he is killed shortly after by a jealous Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), he makes a reappearance later in a gruesome twist where it's revealed his remains have been served for dinner. Many audience participation versions of the film have a callout where the audience cries some gleeful variation of "What's for dinner? Meat Loaf!"

That wouldn't be his only appearance on the screen, big or small. Many fans remember him as Robert "Bob" Paulson in the 1999 iconic film Fight Club, where he plays a man Tyler Durden meets early on in a support group who later plays a pivotal role in the titular fight club. Other appearances include bouncer "Tiny" in Wayne's World, the bus driver in Spice World, Jack Black's father in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, and a guest-starring role in the Monk episode "Mr. Monk and the Voodoo Curse".

His greatest fame would come in 1977 with the release of the album Bat Out of Hell. With over 43 million copies sold worldwide, it is one of the best-selling albums of all time. It was ranked number 343 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and has gone platinum 14 times. Notable singles include "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad", and "Bat Out of Hell".

Sixteen years later, Meat Loaf released a direct sequel Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. Single "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" reached number one in 28 countries. Like the first album, Bat Out of Hell II became a commercial success with over 14 million copies sold. The final album in the trilogy, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose arrived in 2006.

Reportedly the singer was working on another album at the time of his death, but no recording had taken place. 

The rock legend was 74 years old when he passed away.