Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury refused to work together because of an animal

What animal destroyed the duet of two legendary performers, and why did the leader of the band "Queen" want to flee the studio during the recording of the song?

According to performer Joe Burt, who collaborated with Jackson and Mercury, this story took place in 1983. At the time, Queen was on a break, and Freddie Mercury decided to work on a solo album.

Freddie reached out to Michael because he wanted to record a joint track with him for the collection. Both musicians admired each other's work, and Mercury wanted to add more dance rhythms to his music, reports Nypost.

Singer Freddie Mercury holds two microphones and sings against a white-blue background, singer Michael Jackson in glasses and a hat speaks into a microphone — Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson

In Jackson's studio in Encino, California, they recorded demos of three songs: "Victory," "State of Shock," and "There Must Be More to Life Than This."

However, none of these collaborations made it to Freddie's debut solo album "Mr. Bad Guy," released on April 29, 1985. The reason for the fallout was an unexpected guest—Jackson's pet llama named Louie.

Freddie Mercury - 'There Must Be More to Life Than This'

According to Burt's recollections, the presence of the animal in the studio did not sit well with Mercury, and he asked Queen's manager Jim Beach to help him escape:

"Dear, could you come over? You have to get me out of here, I'm recording with a llama."

Freddie Mercury

As a result, "There Must Be More to Life Than This" was released as a solo performance by Mercury, and "State of Shock" was recorded by Jackson with Mick Jagger. Later, in 2014, the original version of the track featuring Freddie's voice was included in the compilation "Queen Forever."

Previously, we at zoomboola.com reported that a former police officer discovered unreleased Michael Jackson songs in San Fernando. What was recorded on the tapes—read in our article.