Jim Steinman, 'Bat Out of Hell' songwriter, dies at 73 Lena Hall and Bradley Dean in "Bat Out of Hell" in New York, Aug. 1, 2019. Emon Hassan/The New York Times. by Neil Genzlinger (NYT NEWS SERVICE) .- Jim Steinman, who wrote all the songs on Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loafs operatic, teenage-angst-filled 1977 debut album, which remains one of the most successful records of all time, died Monday in Danbury, Connecticut. He was 73. His longtime manager, David Sonenberg, announced the death. He said that Steinman had a stroke four years ago and that his health had recently been declining. Steinman had a wide-ranging resume that included writing Bonnie Tylers 1983 No. 1 hit Total Eclipse of the Heart and serving as Andrew Lloyd Webbers lyricist on Whistle Down the Wind (1996). But his career-defining achievement was Bat Out of Hell, a record that no major label wanted but that has now sold tens of millions of copies.