Music composer and producer Jim Steinman has died; he was 73-years-old.

The acclaimed songwriter was behind a number of major hits for Meatloaf – including ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ which has sold over 50 million copies worldwide to date.

He also worked with artists including Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, Air Supply and Bonnie Tyler.

Steinman worked on Tyler’s major hits including ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ and ‘Holding Out For A Hero’, which appeared in the film Footloose. For Dion, he helped to compose ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’ and Air Supply’s ‘Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.’

In a statement shared on social media, Tyler said: “I am absolutely devastated to learn of the passing of my long term friend and musical mentor Jim Steinman.

“Jim wrote and produced some of the most iconic rock songs of all time and I was massively privileged to have been given some of them by him. I made two albums with Jim, despite my record company initially thinking he wouldn’t want to work with me, thankfully they were wrong, and can say without any doubt that Jim was a true genius.

“He was also a funny, kind, supportive and deeply caring human being and the world is a better place for his life and his work and a worse one for his passing. I will always be grateful to him for the opportunity to work with him and also to know him too.”

According to Deadline, Steinman passed away suddenly on Monday (April 19) in Connecticut. A cause of death has not yet been released.

The producer, from New York, was also a talented composer, lyricist, record producer, arranger, pianist and singer.

Steinman worked in musical theatre too, composing the score for the 2017 Bat Out Of Hell musical, as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1996 musical Whistle Down the Wind.

Steinman reunited with Meat Loaf for 1981’s ‘Dead Ringer’, 1993’s ‘Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell’ and 2016’s ‘Braver Than We Are’.

You can see some of the tributes to Steinman here:

I am absolutely devastated to learn of the passing of my long term friend and musical mentor Jim Steinman. pic.twitter.com/TvR01AUXKr

— Bonnie Tyler (@BonnieTOfficial) April 20, 2021

RIP to the great Jim Steinman, who shared this wisdom with me a couple years ago. pic.twitter.com/01dpvlXGyF

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) April 20, 2021

Can’t find the words at the moment. Only, thank you for everything Jim Steinman ❤️ pic.twitter.com/L92hLtegn7

— Bonnie Tyler Fans (@BonnieTylerUK) April 20, 2021

Jim Steinman was the patron saint of karaoke—he wrote every song like it was a karaoke belter. I called my book about karaoke “Turn Around Bright Eyes” as a tribute from a fan. (his brother came to one of my book readings, so I got to sign one for Jim.) gratitude to the maestro. pic.twitter.com/Jrm7pllb4C

— rob sheffield (@robsheff) April 20, 2021

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