The Living Doll hitmaker hit headlines last summer (14) when police raided his home in Berkshire, England in connection with an alleged offence involving a young boy, but the star, who vehemently denied the accusation, was never arrested or charged.

Richard has remained largely out of the spotlight since the scandal, but he is now returning to music with a new single and a compilation album to mark his 75th birthday in October (15).

He has now revealed the song, titled Golden, is a tribute to fans to thank them for standing by him during such a difficult time.

He tells BBC Radio 2, "Basically it's saying love affairs don't last forever but, you and I, we've stood side by side through the storms together and all through the years you have been golden... Never mind the gold records, the public have been golden, and so it's a very emotional song to sing... It is a beautiful song. It's hard to sing though because it is so emotional. You know, we owe so much to the public."

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