George Michael says he didn't ask Amy Winehouse to duet with him because he was "too afraid".
The 'Careless Whisper" hitmaker was keen to duet with the 'Back To Black' singer, who died of alcohol poisoning in 2011, and even wrote a song for her after she died, but claims he was too nervous to discuss a collaboration when she was still alive.
He told BBC Radio 2: "I was always too afraid to ask to duet with her. I love the fact that she finally duetted with Tony Bennett just before she died. It must have been amazing for her father."
Amy recorded the song 'Body And Soul' with celebrated jazz singer Tony in 2011 before she died and her father Mitch has always been a big fan.
George, 50, who rose to fame in the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley, also wrote a song for Amy, 27, before she passed away but never had the chance to show her it.
He added: "And also, there's no question in my mind, one of the things that was so special about Amy was her parents' taste in music and she had the great advantage of having fantastic music on in the house as a young child, and I think that really makes a difference. Most of us don't have parents with fantastic record collections."
He said his own father, Jack Panos, never let him buy records when he was younger and he was left to listen to what was lying around the house.
George said: "And that was like a Henry Mancini album, a couple of Greek albums. But basically there wasn't a lot of stimulation going on in the house musically."
Tagged in George Michael Tony Bennett Amy Winehouse