George Michael was "too afraid" to ask Amy Winehouse to duet with him.
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."

James Lock has been pictured allegedly cheating on Danielle Armstrong with former 'Big Brother' contestant Sallie Axl.
The tattooed model has come forward as the woman at the centre of a cheating scandal on 'The Only Way is Essex' and shared a snap on Twitter of her groping Lockie's genitals in what looks to be a nightclub.
While Lockie has continuously denied cheating on Danielle - who was informed he had played away while in Brighton in 'TOWIE' recently - the lothario appears to have been caught out and has been engaging in a war of words with Sallie on Twitter.
Sallie began the altercation by tweeting: "Is this for real ?? James lock told me he was splitting up with his misses anyways in this series. #jokes #towie (sic)"
Danielle - who had previously likened herself to a 'lobster', and claimed Lockie had traded her in for a 'fish finger' - fired back at Sallie.
She wrote: "I'm actually in fitss that this silly s**g would claim to be the 'fishfinger' from Brighton #NoRespectForHerself #FameHungry #OverIt (sic)"
Things took a dramatic turn when model-and-DJ Sallie posted a photo of the pair looking intimate, cheekily captioning it: "I'm defo lying (sic)"
James has since responded to Sallie's allegations and pleaded that his on/off girlfriend "doesn't deserve this".
He wrote: "Enoughs enough!! @Sallieaxl listen if I really wanted to f*** u I would have paid u £500!
"The only person who's the victim on all this is @Daniarmstrong88 she doesn't deserve this and I've been a complete p****!!!! (sic)"

'Line of Duty' will return for a third series.
Executive producer Simon Heath has claimed the production team behind the hit police corruption drama have already begun plotting ideas for another series, but the show isn't expected to return until creator Jed Mercurio completes work on his new Sky 1 medical drama 'Critical'.
Simon told Broadcast: "We've already started talking about potential fertile story areas for series three.
"[We've discussed] what that might be and what the character or characters might be. But there's plenty of mileage in police corruption.
"Once [Jed] is finished on 'Critical', he'll be ready to go."
The critically acclaimed drama - which stars Keeley Hawes as Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton - will end its dramatic second series tonight (19.03.14) and the BBC have taken extreme measures to ensure spoilers don't leak out before it airs.
Some cast and crew members will have to tune in to BBC Two tonight along with the rest of the nation as they haven't been able to watch the episode in advance, according to the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Not even BBC's director general Tony Hall has been given access to the series finale.
He said: "I am completely hooked on 'Line of Duty' at the moment. I have actually asked if I can have recordings of the end of the series, but like everybody else I have to wait."

David Beckham has undertaken a two-week camping trip through the Amazon forest for a new documentary.
The former soccer star made a secret visit to Brazil with friends Dave Gardner and Derek White and filmmaker Anthony Mandler to make a 90-minute programme, which will air on BBC One in June to tie in with the World Cup.
Charlotte Moore, BBC One controller, said: "In this special documentary for BBC One, David Beckham embarks on a top-secret expedition to the Amazon that will see him encounter the other side of Brazil and journey through the tropical rainforest, a TV first for the global icon."
David - who has four children with wife Victoria - camped, cooked and fished during the expedition, and channel bosses promise the resulting programme, which was made to showcase the natural beauty of the South American territory, will be "unforgettable".
Helen Jackson, managing director for content at BBC Worldwide, said: "This is an unforgettable documentary set in the heart of the dense Amazon rainforest following David Beckham.
"Through his eyes, audiences will experience life in the jungle, something so distant from David's life on and off the pitch and in the glare of the world's media."
The documentary doesn't yet have a name.

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse are among the stars who will feature in new programmes to mark BBC Two's 50th anniversary in April.
The comedians, who starred in 'Harry Enfield's Television Programme' and 'Harry Enfield and Chums', will reunite for an hour-long tribute to the channel's most iconic shows and TV personalities.
'Harry and Paul's Story of the Twos' will feature spoof characters including Joan Bakewell Tart, Gerald Manley Paxman, John Cleese-Shop-Sketch, Mark Egghead, Germaine Dreary and Russell Somebody.
Harry said: "BBC Two gave me my big solo break with 'Harry Enfield's Television Programme' almost 25 years ago. They have been loyal to us over decades. We therefore felt it was only right that now we should stab BBC Two in the back.
"They kindly asked us to do a homage to 50 years of BBC Two. It's turned out to be less of a homage and more of a homicide. Whoops."
BBC Two's acting controller Adam Barker added: "'From 'The Likely Lads', the very first comedy the channel showed in 1964, to more recent highlights including 'Miranda', 'Rev', 'The Trip', 'Twenty Twelve' and 'The Wrong Mans', BBC Two has a long and proud history of growing and supporting new comedy talent and I'm delighted to be announcing a range of brilliantly funny new content that celebrates 50 wonderful years of wit on the channel."
The cast of 'Goodness Gracious Me', including Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Nina Wadia and Kulvinder Ghir, are also reuniting for a brand new 30-minute special which will feature iconic characters from the 1990s series as well as new ones.
Sue Barker will present '50 Years Of Sport on BBC Two', looking back at the the channel's documentation of sport throughout the years.
Meanwhile, 'Mock the Week' presenter Dara O'Briain is set to host a special 90-minute quiz show 'All About Two', featuring celebrity panellists answering questions about BBC Two's history.

Channing Tatum is talks to star and direct 'The Son'. The 33-year-old actor's producing partner Reid Carolin is in negotiations alongside the hunk to helm the film which is based on Jo Nesbo's crime thriller of the same name, according to deadline.com...

Kylie Minogue finds acting liberating.
The 45-year-old star appeared alongside Nick Cave in the fantasy drama 'Holy Motors' in 2012 and is set to reunite with the musician this year for '20,000 Days on Earth', and she's admitted she gets a thrill from acting because she can pretend to be someone else.
She told Digital Spy: "'Holy Motors' was great ... It was just such a nice change to step out of ... it's kind of a weird thing when your career is being a heightened, more glamorous version of yourself.
"I'm Kylie with my family and I'm Kylie with the lights on in my other work. So to just be a different character is challenging and liberating."
The 'Cant Get You Out of My Head' hitmaker released her new album 'Kiss Me Once' earlier this week and has revealed '20,000 Days on Earth' may reveal a side of her people don't know about.
Speaking about her scene in the documentary, she added: "We have a scene where he's driving me, I'm in the backseat of the car and he's chauffeuring me around Brighton, his current home town, and really it wasn't scripted we just talked.
"Nick has this ability to make me very honest and say things that I might not say with other people."

Russell Crowe met Pope Francis during the General Audience at the Vatican today (19.03.14).
The 'Noah' actor was joined by director Darren Aronofsky and Paramount Pictures vice chairman Rob Moore where they saw the leader of the Catholic Church at 10.30 am in St. Peter's Square, a Universal Studios spokeswoman confirmed to Variety.com.
The pope greeted crowds of people during the event which is open to the public and he stood in an open air jeep often stopping to say a few words.
Crowe wrote on Twitter: "What a privilege , attended the Udienza with the holy father @Pontifex . St.Joesephs day & Fathers Day (sic)"
Before he added: "Ciao Roma, my love for your eternal light just grows deeper. Thank you holy father @Pontifex for the blessing (sic)"
This comes after the pope reportedly cancelled a meeting with the creative team behind 'Noah' which was set for 8.30 am today (19.03.14).
They wanted the pope to lend a blessing to the biblical epic, 'Noah', which is based on the story of Noah's Ark from The Book Of Genesis, prior to the US release at the end of March.
It was believed the Vatican called off the meeting "over concerns word would leak, causing a spectacle as Crowe and Aronofsky landed in Rome."

Lamar Odom is determined to win back Khloé Kardashian.
The 34-year-old basketball player has opened up about his failed marriage to the 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' star and admits he isn't ready to give up on their relationship, despite her having filed for divorce over three months ago.
He told In Touch magazine: "I want to make it work with Khloé. I'm going to see see Khloé. I'm going to see her soon."
The couple - who were married in 2009 - split list year after a number of women claimed to have had relationships with Lamar at the same time as he was also facing allegations of drug abuse, but after spending a short period of time playing basketball in Spain, he's now back in the US after suffering a back injury and is dedicated to cleaning up his act and winning back his wife.
He added: "I'm focusing on getting better."
Although Khloé's family and friends have reportedly warned the 29-year-old reality star to be careful not to get hurt again, she is said to be considering giving their relationship another chance.
A source said: "He confessed his feelings and cried his heart out to her on the phone.
"She's been avoiding his texts and calls for weeks, but when she heard him pleading with her to take him back, she melted."
Khloé opened up about her struggle with the split yesterday (18.03.14), claiming she hadn't completely come to terms with it.
She told Australia's 2Day FM breakfast show: "It's definitely not anything I'm through. I'm going through it, but I'm not through it."

Pamela Anderson was worried she'd feel "weird" having sex with short hair.
The former 'Baywatch' beauty, who re-married her ex-husband Rick Salomon earlier this year, was concerned she would feel less feminine when making love after chopping off her blonde locks.
Speaking in the April issue of ELLE magazine, she said: "At first I thought I looked like Anderson Cooper or like a Q-tip or something. But now I feel really powerful.
"I have a friend who is an awesome, studly man, and he goes, 'You know, some women cut their hair and it makes them look even more masculine, but you look even more feminine'.
"I thought it would be weird having sex with short hair, but then I kind of got into the mode."
The 46-year-old beauty - who first married Rick in October 2007 before separating less than two months later - is also happy not to be involved in the rock and roll lifestyle anymore after the break down of her marriage to Mötley Crüe rocker Tommy Lee, 51, with whom she has sons Brandon, 17, and Dylan, 16, and divorced in 1998 after three years of marriage.
She explained: "The rock star thing became very destructive, like, wow. I didn't know what I was doing. I just kind of became that thing.
"The hair, that rock-star kind of lifestyle, just living a dream. It kind of took over. It started out very innocent and then I turned into a cartoon character. And I started to feel like a cartoon character."
Although she's moved on, Pamela - who was also briefly married to Kid Rock in 2006 - admits her past still haunts her and she worries about her teenage sons having access to her famous sex tape with Tommy.
She said: "I don't know if they've seen it, but they know about it. They know about everything. Stupid Internet. I don't know why everyone is so impressed with it."

Chris Martin has joined 'The Voice' USA as a mentor.
The Coldplay frontman will have a special advisory role on the show - which has Adam Levine, Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton as coaches- and met with the contestants ahead of the Battles: Round Two stage of the contest to advise them on their performances.
A post on Coldplay's twitter account read: "Chris is to work with @adamlevine @blakeshelton @usher & @shakira as a Key Adviser on this season's US #TheVoice. (sic)"
Network NBC, who aired the show, went on to explain Chris' role in more detail, revealing the 'Viva La Vida' hitmaker helped the contestants with "vocal technique and stage presence".
They said in a statement: "Martin advised each of the Battles: Round Two performers on vocal techniques, stage presence and the importance of tailoring songs to fit their persona and strengths.
"These artists will continue to try and earn the support of their respective coaches, who will be forced to decide who will move on to the Playoff Rounds.
"Each coach will have the opportunity to strategically steal one more artist in this round."

Naomi Campbell is struggling to quit smoking.
The 43-year-old model - who checked into rehab in 1999 to seek help for a cocaine addiction - is determined to kick the bad habit since she doesn't want to have to stand on "street corners" lighting up but confessed it has been more difficult than she expected.
She told Shape magazine: "People told me that cigarettes are harder to quit than alcohol. I didn't believe it, but you know what? It is harder.
"I'm not someone who wants to light up inside people's homes, including my own, and I don't want to stand outside on street corners anymore.
"It's still a struggle. In fact, just talking about it makes me crave one, so let's stop, please! But I am really trying."
Naomi - who is using nicotine patches to try and wean herself off cigarettes - has previously admitted she enjoys life more since giving up alcohol.
She has said: "I choose not to drink today in my life because I find that I'm allergic to alcohol.
"I have more energy and I have more fun than when I was drinking and I can hang out really late and get up early in the morning with no hangovers and still smile."