Meat Loaf's Wife Deborah Aday Breaks Silence On His Death

The world of classic rock got a little quieter on January 20 with the death of iconic rocker and actor Meat Loaf. The Grammy award-winning singer of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" died of complications from COVID-19 at age 74, according to TMZ. It is unknown whether he was vaccinated or not, but Meat Loaf had apparently been outspoken against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in Australia and critical of masks, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "If I die, I die, but I'm not going to be controlled."

Born Marvin Lee Aday and legally changing his name to Michael in 1984, per StyleCaster, Meat Loaf started singing in high school musicals, like "The Music Man," in his hometown of Dallas, Texas. He was cast in "Hair" in Los Angeles and New York while performing with his first band, Meat Loaf Soul, and starred in "The Rocky Horror Show" as Eddie, a role he reprised in the infamous 1975 movie adaptation, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Meat Loaf's debut 1977 album "Bat Out of Hell" is one of the top five best-selling albums of all time, per Mental Floss, having sold more than 43 million copies worldwide.

Meat Loaf was scheduled for a business meeting about a show he was working on, per TMZ, but it was cancelled because his health, as his daughter Amanda Aday told People, "was declining very rapidly, more rapidly than expected." On January 24, Meat Loaf's wife Deborah Aday spoke about her husband and their relationship.

While Meat Loaf's wife Deborah Aday (née Gillespie) had much to say about the late actor and singer, she did not talk about his entertainment career in her January 24 statement. The widow talked to People about their life together and her incredible sadness over his death. "The grief I feel over the loss of my husband is gut-wrenching," Aday said. "I was lying close to Michael when he took his last breath and my sadness is beyond words." She explained that she always refers to him by his real name because "I didn't see him as 'Meat.'" She also said, "I also want everyone to know how much he meant to me as a husband."

The two married in 2007, later in life for Aday, because "I was waiting for the right man," as she said. "And oh boy, was he ever the right man for me! I realize how blessed I am to have shared my life with such an incredible person." She explained, "For me, it was always about him. From the day we met, he was my world and I loved him. There wasn't a day that went by that we didn't tell the other how much we loved them. Not a day that we didn't hug each other."

Aday concluded by saying, "As much as my heart is in pain right now, my heart is also so full of the love and glory we shared together. I will love you forever, Michael."