Article content

Theatrical rocker Meat Loaf collapsed on stage in Edmonton Thursday night due to a “severe case” of of dehydration.

According to fans, Meat Loaf collapsed during his Jubilee Auditorium show shortly after 9:30 p.m.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Meat Loaf recovering from dehydration after collapsing on stage in Edmonton Back to video

“He was performing ‘I Would Do Anything For Love,’ and all of a sudden in the middle of it he collapsed right on stage. We weren’t sure at first whether it was part of the act or it was something for real,” said Lindsay Sundmark, who watched as an ambulance pulled away from the Jubilee just after 10 p.m.

Fans were told to clear the theatre after the incident.

A statement posted to Meat Loaf’s official Facebook page Friday morning confirmed “severe dehydration” was behind the singer’s collapse. He was admitted to a “nearby hospital” for routine tests and his vital signs are stable and he is responsive.

“I was scared. I didn’t know what to think,” said Sophia Shandalla, 17, a life-long fan who went to see the show with her family.

“I didn’t know if it was real. All of the band stopped playing instantly,” said her mother, Lotta Shandalla, visibly shaken.

Britt Brewer, who attended the show with her brother, mother and a co-worker said the whole incident “was a little surreal.”

“It looked at first like he was just being theatrical and lying down on the stage,” she said.

Fans became worried, she said, when he wasn’t moving and bandmates and tour staff crowded around him.

The next thing she knew, “security were telling us to clear the venue.”

Fans gathered outside said the 68-year-old performer, whose real name is Marvin Lee Aday, had put on an energetic performance, and many didn’t realize his sudden collapse wasn’t part of the show until paramedics rushed the stage.

“I just hope he’s okay. He put his heart 100 per cent into the concert, he put everything into it, I just feel so bad for him,” said Lotta.

That being said, Brewer said there were moments when Meat Loaf seemed “a little bit tired, and at times it was hard to hear him.”

She also said his voice sounded a bit strained.

This comes just days after Meat Loaf was forced to cancel a show in Calgary due to illness.

The singer has collapsed during performances before, including in a 2011 show in Pittsburgh and a 2003 show in London.