Jim Steinman, Bat Out of Hell songwriter, dies at 73
Lena Hall and Bradley Dean in Bat Out of Hell in New York, Aug. 1, 2019. Emon Hassan/The New York Times.
by Neil Genzlinger
(NYT NEWS SERVICE)
.- Jim Steinman, who wrote all the songs on Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loafs operatic, teenage-angst-filled 1977 debut album, which remains one of the most successful records of all time, died Monday in Danbury, Connecticut. He was 73.
His longtime manager, David Sonenberg, announced the death. He said that Steinman had a stroke four years ago and that his health had recently been declining.
Steinman had a wide-ranging resume that included writing Bonnie Tylers 1983 No. 1 hit Total Eclipse of the Heart and serving as Andrew Lloyd Webbers lyricist on Whistle Down the Wind (1996). But his career-defining achievement was Bat Out of Hell, a record that no major label wanted but that has now sold tens of millions of copies.
Grammy-winning composer Jim Steinman dies aged 73
Jim Steinman, the Grammy-winning composer who wrote Meat Loaf’s bestselling Bat Out Of Hell debut album as well as hits for Celine Dion, Air Supply and Bonnie Tyler, has died, his brother said. He was 73.
Bill Steinman told the Associated Press that his brother died on Monday from kidney failure and was ill for some time. He said Jim Steinman died in Connecticut near his home in Ridgefield, according to The Guardian.
“I miss him a great deal already,” Bill Steinman said by phone on Tuesday.
Jim Steinman was born on 1 November 1947 in New York City.
BBC News
Published
image captionJim Steinman and Meat Loaf pictured in 1991
Tributes have been paid to US songwriter and producer Jim Steinman, who has died at the age of 73.
Steinman helped to create hits like Meat Loaf s Bat Out of Hell and Bonnie Tyler s Total Eclipse of the Heart.
Tyler told the BBC: He was such a lovely, funny, kind, supportive, deeply caring person, as well as an incredible songwriter of the most iconic songs.
Steinman also worked on 1996 musical Whistle Down the Wind with Andrew Lloyd Webber, who said he was unique . He was a one-off. One of the nicest, kindest people I ve ever met in this business, Lord Lloyd-Webber told BBC Radio 4 s The World at One on Wednesday.
A Toast to Jim Steinman: The Songwriting Powder Keg Who Kept Giving Off Sparks
RIP to the self-proclaimed Little Richard Wagner who redefined rock melodrama
Rob Sheffield, provided by
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In a better time for the world, we’d all be hitting the karaoke bar tonight to mourn the late great Jim Steinman. This man was more than just the composer behind mega-bombastic hits by Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, Air Supply, and so many others. He was the patron saint of karaoke singers. His idea of the perfect song was a powder keg giving off sparks, one that anybody could belt out loud. Think of a karaoke anthem “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” and chances are Steinman wrote it. Even before the art form was invented, he composed as if he saw it all coming. That’s why karaoke fans everywhere are grieving for him tonight, even if we’re cryin�
Rolling Stone Menu A Toast to Jim Steinman: The Songwriting Powder Keg Who Kept Giving Off Sparks
RIP to the self-proclaimed “Little Richard Wagner” who redefined rock melodrama
By Niels van Iperen/Getty Images
In a better time for the world, we’d all be hitting the karaoke bar tonight to mourn the late great Jim Steinman. This man was more than just the composer behind mega-bombastic hits by Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, Air Supply, and so many others. He was the patron saint of karaoke singers. His idea of the perfect song was a powder keg giving off sparks, one that anybody could belt out loud. Think of a karaoke anthem “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” and chances are Steinman wrote it. Even before the art form was invented, he composed as if he saw it all coming. That’s why karaoke fans everywhere are grieving for him toni