NEWS
Howard Stern is urging Meat Loaf’s family to advocate for people to be vaccinated against Covid-19 following the singer’s death on Jan. 20, as Variety reports.
While Meat Loaf’s cause of death has not been confirmed, TMZ reported that he had been “seriously ill with Covid.” The singer had also previously spoken out against pandemic safety protocols. It’s unclear whether he was vaccinated.
In May, Meat Loaf shared a link to Eric Clapton and Van Morrison’s anti-lockdown song “Stand & Deliver” on Facebook, captioning it, “A song of great interest and learning. Listen and Learn.” He also shared his views on the pandemic with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in August. “I hug people in the middle of COVID,” he said. “I understood stopping life for a little while, but they cannot continue to stop life because of politics. And right now they’re stopping because of politics.”
After the interviewer told him, “Oh, God. We’re being controlled by everybody,” Meat Loaf responded, “Yeah, I know. But not me. If I die, I die, but I’m not going to be controlled.”
During Stern’s SiriusXM radio show, the host said, “Poor Meat Loaf got sucked into some weird fucking cult. And somehow really believed that — he made a statement, ‘I’d rather die a free man than take that vaccine.’ And now he’s dead!”
Stern, who appears to believe Meat Loaf died of Covid-19 and was unvaccinated, beckoned Meat Loaf’s family to speak out about it. “I wish the family would come forward and say, ‘Ya know, when Meat Loaf was laying there in the hospital and he couldn’t breathe, he said, ‘I made a mistake. I should have taken the vaccine.’ Like all these anti-vaxxers, they all say, ‘I made a mistake.'”
Over the last few months, Stern has taken to the airwaves to blast anti-vaxxers. Last week, he proposed that hospitals should shun patients who are not vaccinated against Covid-19. Addressing the anti-vax set, he said, “It’s time for you to get it. Now, if you don’t get it, in my America, all hospitals would be closed to you. You’re going to go home and die. That is what you should get. Absolutely.” In December, Stern’s guest Billie Eilish shared that she believed that had she not been vaccinated when she had Covid-19, that she would have died.
Zara Larsson has indicated that she may have cancelled her December 3 appearance at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The singer initially confirmed that she would not attend, before removing the comment and sharing a more detailed explanation of why the performance no longer feels right for her.
The Swedish star was scheduled to take the stage at Etihad Live on Yas Island during the Yasalam After-Race Concerts. Zara and Lewis Capaldi were due to launch the weekend’s entertainment. However, supporters encouraged her to reconsider the booking because of concerns surrounding the United Arab Emirates’ reported connections to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation accused of committing atrocities during the nation’s civil conflict.
A fan commented: “Please read about what UAE is doing to Sudan then cancel your Abu Dhabi show!” Zara responded: “I will not be going to Abu Dhabi.” Fans later realised that both comments had been removed.
She then shared that she had been considering what it means for her, as an artist, to perform in particular countries.
The Midnight Sun singer explained: “I think about that a lot in my life as an artist… I wanna perform and spread joy and music for people in every country, because no single person is their government.
“I’ve met so many wonderful people from every corner of the world and I know this to be true in my heart. I love people, and I love my fans soooo much.”
Zara acknowledged that her original comment “maybe came off as an impulsive response,” but explained that she had given the booking serious thought. She now believes withdrawing is the decision that “aligns with me the most right now, for many different personal reasons beyond politics.”
She continued: “Maybe I’ll delete both comments and do a better statement soon. I hope to sing with you in the beautiful future!”
