Andros Georgiou, the childhood friend of George Michael, is fighting a legal battle against the late singer's estate over a secret, unreleased album. Georgiou is being sued after launching a website that charges fans to view behind-the-scenes footage of the record, titled Trojan Souls.
Lawsuit over private footage
Speaking to the Mirror, Georgiou, 63, criticised the estate's decision to take him to court at London's Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court. "The truth is the truth. I'm not frightened of this. I'm fighting for George as much as I'm fighting for myself," he said. "Can you imagine him spending all this money taking me to court? That money could have gone to worthy causes but instead they are coming after the person he grew up with. It would never have happened if George was alive."
George Michael's unfinished album
Michael worked on Trojan Souls for months until his Brazilian boyfriend Anselmo Feleppa died of Aids in March 1993, after which he lost interest in music. The album was set to feature collaborations with Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Bryan Ferry. Georgiou shot 90 minutes of footage on a camcorder, showing Michael playing piano, performing vocals with backing singers and discussing his track list with producers.
Georgiou, who is Michael's second cousin, said: "I've still got the camera I filmed it on. I've still got all the original tapes. It's my film. Their argument seems to be about George's image, but they don't have a hope in hell on the copyright because it's my footage."
Andros Georgiou speaks out
The former music executive said he asked the estate's lawyers to attend mediation but claims those requests were rejected. He accused the estate of trying to "cut me out of history" and insisted he has no plans to back down. "I don't want to fight, but trust me, I'll fight if I have to," he said. "If they push me, I'll push back."
Interest in his website has surged since news of the court action emerged. "I've made more sales in the last 48 hours than I had before," Georgiou said. "The fans have been incredible. This was a very big mistake on their behalf, we are going through the roof at the moment. It will never come down."
Dispute escalates
Georgiou and Michael were estranged at the time of the singer's death on Christmas Day 2016, but had spoken in the final few weeks of his life. Their falling out followed Michael's arrest in a Los Angeles public toilet in 1998. The dispute comes as Georgiou prepares a new edition of his memoir and a planned feature film based on his life and friendship with Michael. The singer died of natural causes at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, aged 53.
