From London to North Carolina, Guardian readers share their tributes to and memories of the singer and actor
My parents had just split up, and my mum, caring for two young daughters, took us to Bournemouth for a few days to get away. It was the year Jurassic Park came out and she would have been about 36, a few years older than I am now. She found a tape of Bat Out of Hell in a bargain bin at a service station on the drive there and the second she put it into the tape player in the car and heard the opening track, she was hooked. As kids, we loved it too – it was so fun, theatrical and a bit naughty. We played that tape over and over on our car journeys. I saw how his music empowered my mum and made her feel good at a very vulnerable and painful time. He has brought her pure joy since she found that tape and his songs remind me of the close bond my mum, sister and I share. Vicky, 33, editor, London
