George Michael’s estate in legal row with friend over release of ‘lost’ album’s unseen footage

George Michael’s estate is suing his former best friend for charging fans to watch footage of the late star online from the recording of a lost album.

Andros Georgiou, 63, believes his old friend would be ‘turning in his grave’ at the legal action, which came in response to the online release of his film Trojan Souls – The Greatest Album That Was Never Made.

It features almost 90 minutes’ worth of recordings of the late Careless Whisper singer in the recording studio, shot in 1992 and 1993.

A website was launched last month to host the film, which asks fans to pay £4.99 for 48 hours access to Trojan Souls – The Greatest Album That Was Never Made, while distributor Tribe Media is also selling a £19.99 VIP tier, which promises access to previously unheard recordings of Wham! star Michael’s unreleased songs from the record.

George’s estate has lodged a case at London’s Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court, claiming its rights have been breached, according to The Sun, with Georgiou saying he had ‘no idea’ the estate planned to sue him until he was contacted by the newspaper about it.

Andros has branded this move ‘a case of sheer greed’.

He told Metro in a statement: ‘First and foremost – my brother in arms, my best friend, George Michael to you, Yog to me – would turn in his grave knowing what Russells (the estate’s lawyers) are attempting – and spending his money to do it.

‘It is well known Yog and I were working on Trojan Souls through my record label, Hardback Records.

‘The film I have released was shot by me, with Yog’s full approval – trust me, he would never have allowed anyone else into that studio.

‘This was a home video leaked over 30 years ago.’

Georgiou added that as it kept ‘resurfacing’ on YouTube and then other social media sites he decided to ‘put the film out myself, since others were already profiting from my home video’.

He had shot the video in Japan on George’s Faith tour, using a camcorder given to him by Sony.

Trojan Souls was set to feature duets with a remarkable number of musical stars including Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Bryan Ferry, Seal and Sade, but Michael – who died in December 2016 – is said to have lost interest in the record after his then-partner Anselmo Feleppa’s health declined.

Following Feleppa’s death in March 1993, he never completed the record.

According to The Telegraph, the film shows Michael playing the piano, performing vocals with backing singers and talking to producers about his track list in a studio in Los Angeles.

Georgiou and Michael grew up together as second cousins, whose fathers moved from Cyprus to the UK together in 1953, sparking ‘37 years of an unbreakable friendship’, according to the film’s website.

They co-founded the label Aegean Records together in 1996, but fell out after Michael’s arrest in an LA public toilet in 1998.

While still estranged before his death, they had planned to reconcile and Georgiou said they had spoken on the phone in the final weeks of Michael’s life.

Georgiou added in his statement: ‘Yes, we fell out, but we loved and cared for each other deeply, and I find the baseless claims and the constant attempts to erase me from history both disrespectful and, frankly, a bit desperate.’

Michael died of natural causes at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day in 2016. He was aged just 53.

Robobuild Limited and Big Geoff Overseas Limited, the holding companies George used to manage royalties and world tours, have brought the claim against Georgiou and Tribe Media, the production house distributing the film.

Michael’s Wham! co-star Andrew Ridgeley is currently promoting a new documentary titled Wham! 10 Days in China, which focuses on their 1985 visit to China as part of their 1984–85 tour, The Big Tour.

They were the first Western pop act to visit the country.

Metro has contacted lawyers for George Michael’s estate for comment.