Meat Loaf died surrounded by his wife Deborah, daughters Pearl and Amanda, and close friends after a career that saw him sell more than 100 million albums worldwide and star in over 65 films, including Fight Club, Focus, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Wayne’s World.

Among those around the world who mourned his death were fans of Hartlepool United FC, who had established an unlikely link with the singer after he began to follow their fortunes in 2003.

WIth Hartlepool attracting attention at the time for their promotion challenge under manager Mike Newell, Meat Loaf picked the underdog to support after being invited onto Soccer AM, Sky TV’s Saturday morning show, rather than a top flight team.

However, his affection for Hartlepool and the club grew when he learnt of the legendary hanging of a ship’s monkey purportedly mistaken for a French spy by the townsfolk during the Napoleonic wars.

Meat Loaf said at the time: “I thought, I don’t want to go on and say I’m a Manchester United fan or a Liverpool fan – I’m gonna go down to the third level. And so I picked Hartlepool.

“I read about them and I found that the people of Hartlepool had hanged a monkey thinking he was a Frenchman, and I loved that story.”

The football club also tweeted its tribute to the late singer: