Meat Loaf, the actor and singer behind hits such as “I’d Do Anything for Love”, has died, aged 74.
His death was announced on a post shared to his official Facebook page, stating that “the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight” (20 January).
As people pay tribute to the late star on social media, fans are remembering anecdotes about Meat Loaf, including how he got his iconic stage name and his often-unnoticed appearances in films such as Fight Club.
Among these stories is one about his role in an unexpected part of British history: It’s a Royal Knockout.
The one-off TV charity event, which was staged on the lawn of Alton Towers, was the brainchild of Prince Edward, and took place on 15 June 1987. It was shown on BBC One.
The game show featured four teams of celebrities, each captained by members of the British royal family.
Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Sarah Fegurson were the captains. The Queen reportedly disapproved of the show.
Participating celebrities included John Cleese, Christopher Reeve, Debbie Flintoff, Cliff Richard, Sheena Easton, Gary Lineker and John Travolta. Meat Loaf played for Ferguson’s team.
Speaking about his time on the show in a 2003 interview with The Guardian, Meat Loaf said that the show was “great fun” although he added that “the Queen hates me”.
However, the singer said that he caught the eye of one member of the royal family.
“Fergie wasn’t exactly flirting with me, but she was paying attention to me,” said Meat Loaf.
(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“I think Andrew got a little – I could be wrong, I’m just reading into this – I think he got a little jealous… Anyway, he tried to push me in the water. He tried to push me in the moat.
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“So I turned around and I grabbed him and he goes, ‘You can’t touch me. I’m royal.’ I said, ‘well you try to push me in the moat, Jack, I don’t give a shit who you are, you’re goin’ in the moat.’”
Following Meat Loaf’s death, other anecdotes have resurfaced surrounding the singer.
In 2014, he explained what the “that” was in his famous song “I’d Do Anything for Love”, which includes the famous lyrics: “I would do anything for love – but I won’t do that.”
