Meat Loaf Verged on Death Twice before He Passed as His Father Nearly Killed Him after Mother’s Funeral

Meat Loaf didn't have an easy childhood with his mother dying when he was young and his father allegedly attempting to kill him. His father was an abusive alcoholic whom the musician later forgave.

On September 27, 1947, Marvin Lee Aday was born to Orvis and Wilma Aday in Dallas, Texas. He later went by the stage name Meat Loaf and became a multi-platinum musician.

The singer had a tough childhood growing up with a father who was a well-known alcoholic and police officer. Orvis would binge so much on alcohol that his wife was often forced to place a young Meat Loaf in the care of his maternal grandmother.

MEAT LOAF'S TOUGH CHILDHOOD

Speaking to The Big Issue in March 2013, the "Bat Out Of Hell" singer said his father would go on alcohol binges that caused him to go missing for three or four days at a go. The star didn't recall Orvis hitting his mother, though.

However, he acknowledged that it was possible that he might have blocked the incidents out. However, the "Classic Albums: Bat Out of Hell" documentary star did recall how his father physically abused him.

Despite acknowledging the abuse, the singer also noted how alcoholism was a disease. The" I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" singer revealed that he didn't hold a grudge against Orvis and that he loved him.

Meat Loaf instead took responsibility for his own actions as an adult. The "Fight Club" actor said Orvis had no influence on his personality, and when he got mad, it wasn't his father's fault but his own.

EFFECTS OF LOSING WILMA

According to an April 2021 Grunge article, when Meat Loaf was a young adult, things came to a head. The 'To Hell And Back" author had lost his mother, causing Orvis' substance and emotional abuse issues to overflow.

The parent allegedly tried to kill the singer with a butcher knife. A September 2000 article by Classic Rock Magazine's Jon Hotten revealed that Meat Loaf was quite distraught by losing his mother.

He purportedly grabbed at the body during the funeral and screamed at the undertakers that they couldn't have his mother. Later back home, Orvis entered his son's room with a knife and attacked him.

Meat Loaf fought back and overcame his father, and not long after that incident, the star left Texas. He moved to California hoping to have a better life but didn't hold a grudge against his father, later telling Daily Mail:

"He was an alcoholic, and he didn't know what he was doing.”

BARING NO ANIMOSITY

Even though Meat Loaf and his father's relationship was quite difficult, he had no animosity towards him. In February 2012, the "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" vocalist said his father didn't know what he was doing when he was abusive.

The singer noted how his father had passed on long ago and that in his mind, they were now friends. He said he didn't hold Orvis responsible for anything that happened to him and that he had no time for people who blamed their parents for their outcomes.

Meat Loaf shared that saying "my father tried to kill me" was a lame excuse because everyone had their own minds and was capable of changing. He also confessed that he didn't like talking much about the knife incident.

ALMOST LOSING HIS LIFE AGAIN

The incident with his father wasn't the only time that Meat Loaf almost lost his life. Speaking to Louder Sound in October 2016, the "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" singer opened up about trying to take his own life.

While on the 1978 Bat Out Of Hell tour, which the singer described as their most "volatile" one, Meat Loaf experienced fights, drugs, mutinies, and over-indulgence. He recalled how he had to push himself physically each night.

The star ended up needing oxygen to be revived, and that iconic image became a symbol for the 1970s. The madness climaxed when Meat Loaf had a bone-breaking tumble off the stage in Ottawa.

In a bizarre show, the artist also allegedly tried to commit suicide publicly in front of a crowd. It was never figured out if Meat Loaf actually wanted to take his own life or if it was just part of the whole act.

It was general knowledge that Meat Loaf shows were quite volatile by then. Sadly, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" actor passed on this year at the beginning of the New Year.

NO MORE MEAT LOAF

On January 21, 2022, the star's family announced that the singer was no more. His family revealed that he'd died at age 74 with his second wife, Deborah Gillespie, by his side, but they gave no further details.

The former [Pearl Aday] is also a singer [Amanda Aday] who went on tour with Meat Loaf while the latter is an actress from the HBO series “Carnivale.”

In the past, the singer had openly spoken about the health issues that had plagued him. He'd suffered from asthma, which caused his collapse on stage during a 2011 concert in Pittsburgh, and in 2003 he fainted again at Wembley Arena in London before being admitted to hospital.

During a Kensington press conference, he reassured his fans about his health. Doctors later diagnosed the "Wayne's World" actor with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes an irregular heartbeat.

In 2016, he had another stage collapse in Canada with a statement saying it was due to "severe dehydration." The late singer is survived by Gillespie, whom he married in 2007, and two daughters, Pearl and Amanda Aday.

The former is also a singer who went on tour with Meat Loaf, while the latter is an actress from the HBO series "Carnivale." Both daughters were from his first marriage to his ex-wife Leslie Edmonds, whom he met when she was a secretary at Bearsville Studios. They were married from 1978 until 2001.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org.