Jim Steinman, the colourful composer behind hits like “Bat Out Of Hell” and “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”, who sold more than 190 million records and won four Grammy awards, has died at the age of 73.
His brother Bill told the Associated Press that the songwriter and producer had died of kidney failure on Monday after being ill for some time, reported the BBC.
“I miss him a great deal already,” he added.
Known for his bombastic, operatic productions, Steinman achieved his biggest fame with rock star Meat Loaf.
Their 1977 album Bat Out Of Hell – which contained hits like “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth” and “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad” – is one of the biggest albums of all time, with more than 50 million copies sold around the world.
The high-camp, over-the-top production was often imitated but never bettered – including by Steinman himself, although he came close on the 1993 sequel, which spawned the worldwide number one single, I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).
Steinman later won the album of the year Grammy for his work on Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You”; and worked on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Whistle Down The Wind, which opened in the West End in 1998.
