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Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Nicole Goodwin

'RIP Meat Loaf' graffiti appears on Heaton roundabout after rock legend's death

Graffiti paying tribute to rock star Meat Loaf has appeared on a North East roundabout following the announcement of his death on Friday.

Throughout the weekend fans across the world have been paying their respects to the 74-year-old, who was known for hits such as 'Bat Out of Hell' and 'I'd Do Anything for Love'.

And today commenters in Newcastle spotted one of the latest tributes to the American rocker located on the roundabout which connects the Coast Road and Chillingham Road in Heaton.

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Spray-painted in red block capitals, the graffiti reads: "R.I.P MEAT LOAF".

Written close to an underpass on the roundabout, the graffiti can be seen by pedestrians, as well as drivers travelling along the Coast Road from Newcastle city centre.

Throughout his career, Meat Loaf had a number of connections to the North East.

'RIP Meat Loaf' graffiti appears on Heaton roundabout overlooking the Coast Road (Newcastle Chronicle)

Lorraine Crosby, from Walker, duetted with Meat Loaf on the hit 'I'd Do Anything For Love' and also performed with him live on stage.

Speaking on BBC5 Live to Friday following the news of his death, Lorraine said: "It's a sad day. He gave me a career with that song, God bless him.

"Without him I probably wouldn't have done much more, but I was lucky enough to do that."

When Meat Loaf arrived in the North East on tour, Lorraine joined him on stage at Whitley Bay Ice Rink in December 1993 to perform the song.

Speaking about what it was like to work with Meat Loaf, she said: "He was fantastic. What a great man."

During a tour in October 2007, Meat Loaf showed his dedication to his fans by setting out on a mission to make it up to them after cutting a Newcastle Arena gig short due to throat problems.

He agreed to take part in a charity penalty shoot-out at St James' Park and The Chronicle arranged an auction for the highest bidders to try their luck from the spot with Meat Loaf between the sticks in June 2008.

Initially, he told bidders they would get free tickets to a Meat Loaf concert in Yorkshire if they managed to score past him.

But he gave them all tickets anyway, regardless of if they bagged or not, and he also matched the £5,000 raised by the auction.

The cash went to two cancer charities, Maggie's Cancer Care Centre and the Toma Fund, which was taking donations to fund a teenage cancer unit.

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