George Michael death
"Fantasy," first recorded in the late 1980s, has been reworked by funk-master Nile Rodgers. It received its first radio airplay on Thursday. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

A new single by George Michael has been released, eight months after the music star's death.

"Fantasy," first recorded in the late 1980s, has been reworked by funk-master Nile Rodgers. It received its first radio airplay on Thursday (7 September).

Michael's publicist says the song was meant to be included on Michael's 1990 album "Listen Without Prejudice" but got "lost in the ether." Michael asked Rodgers last year to rework the song for release as the lead single for a reissue of "Listen Without Prejudice."

Michael died Dec. 25, aged 53, from heart disease and a build-up of fat in his liver.

Rodgers tweeted that he felt "emotional ambiguity" about the song, which evoked "tears, uncertainty, happiness and love."

The reissued album, "Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged," will be released Oct. 20.

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