Echo & The Bunnymen frontman Ian Mcculloch wrote a song eulogising David Bowie after he heard a rumour suggesting the veteran singer was dying, and he was blindsided when the star made a surprise comeback.

The British rocker wrote a track called Me and David Bowie around 18 months ago when he heard a story suggesting the Heroes hitmaker was seriously ill, and MCCulloch couldn't believe it when the reclusive star shocked the world by releasing new music earlier this year (13).

He says, "I came up with that song around a year and a half ago when there were all these rumours flying around that he was on his last legs... We don't hear anything from Bowie for years, then I write that song and all of a sudden there's a new album and an exhibition at the V&A (London's Victoria & Albert museum). F**king skinny b**tard!"

Bowie made a surprise comeback in January (13) when he released his first new music in a decade, a single called Where Are We Now, which was followed by an album, A New Day, in March (13).