Meat Loaf death breaks Hartlepool hearts

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Hartlepool have paid tribute to arguably their most famous supporter following the death of rock star Meat Loaf The larger-than-life American whose death at the age of 74 was announced by his family on Friday, adopted the League Two club after being asked to appear on Sky Sports’ Soccer AM in 2003. “Meat Loaf’s story of how he became a Hartlepool supporter when he appeared on Soccer AM was heart-warming and we are glad to have been the team to which he dedicated his passion for football. “He was probably our most famous fan and we send all our love and thoughts to his family and friends at this sad time.” Meat Loaf, who was born Marvin Lee Aday but was also known as Michael, explained his recruitment to the north-east club’s fanbase in an interview with talkSPORT Magazine, revealing he had been attracted by the legend that a monkey washed up on the town’s shores from a shipwreck during the Napoleonic Wars was hanged as a French spy. “So I started looking and I went to the second division, no, no, and I got down to the third division and I said, ‘There’s a cool name, Hartlepool, in the third division’.