Grammy award winning singer Meat Loaf died on Thursday night, his family and his longtime agent Micheal Greene have announced.

"Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side.

"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," the family said.

The Texas-born singer - real name Michael Lee Aday - was well known for his impressive rock vocals.

He began his career in the late 1960s and was a star in the musical Hair before he began releasing his solo music.

His biggest hits came from his Bat Out Of Hell trilogy, Bat Out of Hell, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose.

Those albums sold more than 65 million copies.

Meat Loaf won a Grammy Award for his song I'd Do Anything for Love in the mid-1990s.

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