Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea thinks the late David Bowie's "art was so pure" because he kept his personal life private.
Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers
The 'Under The Bridge' bassist is a massive fan of the late music legend - who died in January at the age of 69 after a secret battle with cancer - and as soon as he heard of the 'Changes' hitmaker's passing he got a tattoo of his surname inked on his arm.
Now he's spoke about the "personal" connection he felt with the late star.
He said: "About a month before Bowie died, I bought his vinyl box set and was working through it. Then, the night before he died, I was listening to 'Blackstar' on headphones. He was very much on my mind when I woke up the next morning.
"Like many people, I connected with him in such a personal way. He never wrote about his personal life, which made his art so pure, but you felt like you knew him almost better than anyone else."
Meanwhile, Flea has given an update on his band's eagerly-anticipated as-yet-untitled eleventh studio LP, and says it's taking them into a "new area".
Flea, 53, told Q magazine: "We're near the end of it. Danger Mouse is producing this time, instead of Rick Rubin. We're heading into a new era and we're really excited.
"It's new and different but without sacrificing the good bits of us. There are some songs we already had, and some new ones too. I can't wait to play it live."
Tagged in David Bowie