Meat Loaf says back problems have kept him offstage for the last year or so, and now he's acknowledged that he may never perform again.
The influential singer has undergone several surgeries over the years, but now he can't move around his home without the aid of a walker, he says.
But he'll keep fighting to try and sing again.
“You use everything to sing, and I just cannot do it,” he told Rolling Stone. “From how I grew up, that's where I learned to be tough and to never stop. I mean, I'm tough as nails. Once I was hit in the head with a pool cue and just turned to the guy and said, 'You just made a big mistake.' Got hit in the head with a whiskey bottle. Had my head slammed into a locker. I've had 18 concussions. And nothing, nothing has ever put me down. Yeah, man – I never go down."
He continued, “my back is driving me crazy. But then I'm probably a little crazy anyway, because of all the concussions.”
Meat Loaf says he spends most of his time nowadays watching reruns of Blue Bloods and Law & Order and playing the online RPG Gladiator.
The Texas-based singer adds that his back gave him grief even on his most recent tour in 2016. Meat Loaf scared the rock world and beyond when he collapsed onstage in Edmonton, Canada, while singing "I Would Do Anything for Love."
Meat Loaf says it was an instance where his back literally brought him to his knees, as he recalls pain shooting through his body.
Last year marked the 40th anniversary of Meat Loaf's seminal Bat Out of Hell album.
With time and rehab and good fortune, Meat Loaf hopes to celebrate the album with his fans. But he acknowledged to Rolling Stone that it's a wonder he made it this far.
Photo: Getty Images