Friends of singer George Michael are “very concerned about his health,” David Furnish, Elton John’s partner, said in a Tuesday interview.

Following a fresh public spat in British media between the two gay music legends, Furnish told BBC 5 Live’s Victoria Derbyshire, “A lot of people are saying it to us, we get it very very regularly, that they are concerned about his health, concerned about his state of mind and his well-being and that as Elton has been there and experienced sobriety now for 19 years, that perhaps he's best positioned to be able to help out.”

In an interview last week with The Guardian, Michael defended both his affinity for public-restroom sex and marijuana use (he said he has cut down to seven or eight joints per day from a peak of 25 daily). Michael declined to answer some questions about crack cocaine use.

As far as Furnish’s and John’s concern: "Elton just needs to shut his mouth and get on with his own life. Look, if people choose to believe that I'm sitting here in my ivory tower, Howard Hughesing myself with long fingernails and loads of drugs, then I can't do anything about that, can I?"