Wham! star Andrew Ridgeley attacks 'mucky' Channel 5 documentary about George Michael

Friend and fellow artist called programme 'a piece of voyeurism'

British singer George Michael (Getty)

George Michael's former Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley has criticised Channel 5 for airing a "mucky" documentary before his funeral took place.

Andrew Ridgeley posted on Twitter on Thursday - when the show titled The Last Days of George Michael was aired - and called it "sensationalist and mucky".

He claimed the channel had been “insensitive, contemptuous and reprehensible” and should have waited until after Michael's funeral to air the programme.

Channel 5, however, has defended its decision and said the show was "a measured account" of the star's life, the BBC reports.

"George Michael was a high-profile public figure and there has been legitimate public interest in the circumstances surrounding his death," it said in a statement.

It said the documentary was "based on contributions from those who knew him and reported on him over many decades".

​It was confirmed earlier in March that Michael - born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou - died on Christmas Day as a result of heart and liver disease.