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George Michael Answers Elton John

Enmity between British pop stars George Michael and Elton John, reignited once again with Michael saying that recent harsh media coverage of his personal life started when John made hostile remarks about his state of mind. British tabloid the Daily Mirror printed the headline: "Drugs Could Kill George Michael" after the 42-year-old was arrested in February for possessing illegal drugs.

"The trajectory of my particular soap opera (with the press) launched from that statement Elton made about 18 months ago when Elton hadn`t seen me for years," Michael told ITV host Michael Parkinson. "Elton said he thought I was really miserable for some reason. From that point on, I have been trying to prove that I am not. Unfortunately it made me incredibly vulnerable to the press."

In December 2004, John said Michael appeared to be in a "strange place," wasting his talent by staying at home and shunning the limelight. "The subtext to it is `well, he was all right before he came out and now he lives this depraved gay life and he`s miserable and fat,`" Michael said, adding that he felt fine. "I haven`t felt this good since I was a lot younger," he told ITV television in an interview to be broadcast on Saturday evening. A transcript was made available on Friday.