Meat Loaf said Prince Andrew once tried to push him into a moat after he caught Sarah Ferguson 'paying attention' to him

• Meat Loaf, the Grammy-winning singer and actor, died Thursday at 74.
• He said in 2003 Prince Andrew once tried to push him in a moat over the attention of Sarah Ferguson.

Meat Loaf, the rock star and actor who died on Thursday at 74, said in 2003 he was once almost pushed into a moat by Prince Andrew over the "attention" of Sarah Ferguson.

The singer and actor, whose real name was Marvin Lee Aday, participated in the 1987 televised charity tournament "It's a Royal Knockout," which was filmed at Alton Towers.

Members of the royal family competed in teams alongside celebrities like John Travolta, Sheena Easton, Cliff Richard, and John Cleese in a bid to raise money for charity.

In a 2003 interview with The Guardian, Meat Loaf said, "It was great fun. I had a great time." He also joked, "The Queen hates me."

He said he caught the attention of Sarah Ferguson, Andrew's wife at the time.

"Fergie wasn't exactly flirting with me, but she was paying attention to me," he said.

"And 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," he added.

"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,'" he said.

Meat Loaf's death on Thursday was announced in a statement released on the star's Facebook page.

"Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side," it said.

Tributes from the entertainment world poured in. Cher, who recorded "Dead Ringer for Love" with Meat Loaf, honored the star, tweeting: "Had So Much Fun With Meatloaf When We Did 'Dead Ringer'. Am Very Sorry For His Family,Friends,& Fans. Am I imagining It, or Are Amazing Ppl In The Arts Dying every other Day?!"

Andrew is facing a sexual-assault lawsuit that was filed in August by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged Jeffrey Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew in Epstein's New York mansion, in London, and on Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.

Buckingham Palace announced last week that Andrew would face the lawsuit as a private citizen and that his military titles and royal patronages would be removed.