R.I.P Meatloaf: Righteous rocker, and Vegetable hawker

As we remember the iconic Texas rocker Marvin Lee Aday, more commonly known as Meat Loaf. He leaves behind a legacy in music, and on screen that is simply untouchable. With over 100 million albums sold worldwide, and a filmography that rivals that of many seasoned Hollywood actors, legend is a word that springs to mind. Even if he does not consider himself to be a superstar, to us mere mortals that is exactly what he was and always will be. His 1977 album Bat Out of Hell remains in the top ten best-selling albums of all time. Meatloaf captivated, entertained and enthralled the world for 6 decades. He was a truly unique showman the likes of which, we will never see again. However, one word you would not associate with the larger than life Texan, is vegetarian. The irony of this was not lost on Meat, who recalled a time he was sat with Jon Bon Jovi at an awards ceremony and spotted Canadian folk singer/songwriter and notorious animal rights activist K D Lang, whom he was a big fan of at the time. According to Meatloaf she declined to meet him on account of his stage name, needless to say she lost a fan that day. In 1981 Meatloaf adopted a vegetarian diet after visiting a restaurant with friends and ordering rabbit. However, according to Meat this particular rabbit was served with its head on, no ears and its eyes closed. He recalls “I said, ‘Take this away and I want vegetables and a salad,’. He remained vegetarian until 1992. Fast forward almost 20 years when UK restaurant chain Frankie & Benny’s approached Meat in the hope that they could convince the 300lb rocker to drop his Meatloaf moniker in favour of a new name, Veg Loaf and be the face of their new vegan menu in 2020. Marvin’s response, as expected was “I won’t do that”. However, Meat was keen to head F&B’s veganuary campaign as he is a champion of the vegetarian diet. He has been quoted as saying “I’d do anything for our planet and dropping meat for veg, even for just one day a week, can make a huge difference.”

Meatloaf is arguably the most unlikely individual from the entertainment world to embrace a plant-based diet let alone endorse one. What more can be said about the man he is full of surprises. A true maverick, a showman, and a talented and humble human being. The world mourns the death of a genuine star, Marvin Lee Aday may you rest in peace, thanks for everything.