Aussie singer Sam Sparro speaks out against George Michael's 'sanitised' legacy

Sam Sparro is frustrated that George Michael's life has been "sanitised".

The Australian singer-songwriter was a huge fan of the Michael, who was found dead at his home on Christmas day and believes recent reflections on his life are "disrespectful to his legacy"

"George Michael was an earnest and sharp-witted pop auteur, who deserves much greater posthumous fanfare than he has received," Sam wrote in an essay for The Guardian. "He was a bold, intelligent and provocative gay man.

"In the aftermath of his death, much of the coverage sanitised his life, playing down his queerness in a way that was not only disrespectful to his legacy, but harmful to the community at large."

Sam, who identifies as queer, praised the 'Carless Whisper' superstar for his impact on the gay community and the inspiration he provided.

"With so few - alarmingly few - queer musicians in the pop landscape, we looked to George Michael for inspiration and acknowledgment," Sam wrote. "He should be upheld as a great storyteller whose beautiful voice expressed it all - pain, joy, humour, love."

Sam also shared his disappointment that Adele was chosen to represent Michael at the Grammys, performing Michael's song 'Fastlove'.

"His song is so deeply entwined with the gay experience that to have it represented at the Grammy’s by Adele was an injustice," he said. "You can flip through the radio stations or sit and watch MTV for hours without hearing a single gay voice.

"We needed and deserved this opportunity to be acknowledged as a community, and to honour our own."

Sam also mourned the fact that Michael died before he could release one more body of work, "full of earnest prose and social commentary".