How much was Meat Loaf worth when he died?

Despite declaring bankruptcy in 1983, the 'Bat out of Hell' singer had a personal fortune of $40m

Meat Loaf in 1970. The singer has died aged 74. Getty Images

Meat Loaf on the set of 1975 film 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Reuters

The rock musician performing in 1977. Getty Images

Meat Loaf, right, with English heavy metal musician Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as Lemmy, after the latter's performance at Wembley Arena in London in 1982. Getty Images

Meat Loaf performing at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in 1985. Redferns

Meat Loaf performing during his Everything Louder Tour in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in July 1994. Getty Images

Edward Norton and Meat Loaf in a scene from the 1999 cult classic 'Fight Club'.

Meat Loaf performing during his Very Best of Tour at Wembley Arena in London in 1999. Reuters

Meat Loaf performing at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in February 2004 in Australia. Getty Images

Meat Loaf, centre, joins the cast of the musical 'Bat Out of Hell' as a special guest, on Broadway in New York in August 2019. WireImage

Meat Loaf and country artist John Rich performing at Redneck Riviera, Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27, 2021. Getty Images

Bat out of Hell singer Meat Loaf, who died on Thursday at the age of 74, was worth about $40 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, which tracks the wealth and finances of the rich and famous.

Meat Loaf amassed the majority of his personal fortune through the sale of 12 solo studio albums and his work as an actor, Celebrity Net Worth said. In total, he sold more than 100 million albums worldwide in a career that spanned six decades.

“Meat Loaf's debut solo album, 1977's Bat Out of Hell, is one of the best-selling albums in history, with sales of more than 43 million copies,” it added.

“The 14 times Platinum album continues to sell an estimated 200,000 copies each year, more than four decades after its release, and it spent nine years on the music charts.”

Meat Loaf has also appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including 1975’s cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wayne’s World and Fight Club.

However, there were times Meat Loaf struggled financially. In 1983, he was forced to declare bankruptcy after a series of legal battles with record companies, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1996.

“It’s shameful. I ended up bankrupt. I lost my house and everything – even the publishing rights to my songs, which the Bankruptcy Court took away. But I’m not the first artist who has ever been screwed, It happens all the time,” he told the newspaper at the time.

His family announced the singer’s death on Facebook.

“We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man,” they said. “From his heart to your souls … don’t ever stop rocking!”

Meat Loaf's agent Michael Greene told Deadline the singer died on Thursday night, with his wife by his side. His daughters, Pearl and Amanda, “also had a chance to spend time with him and say their goodbyes during the last 24 hours”, Mr Greene added.

His cause of death has not yet been released.