July 30, 2013 - 17:15 AMT
Mercury-Jackson duets recorded in 1983 can be released

Queen guitarist Brian May says he's working to complete duets recorded 30 years ago by the band's late frontman Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson, according to The Associated Press.

May wrote on his blog this month that he was working on the tapes with producer William Orbit. He said the project was "exciting, challenging, emotionally taxing. But cool."

Mercury and Jackson recorded together at Jackson's California home in 1983, but the material was not released.

May said in 2011 that he had been given permission by the Jackson estate to release the recordings. This month he wrote that "we will have something for folks to hear in a couple of months' time, hopefully."

Mercury died in 1991 and Jackson in 2009.