INXS: We Didn't Fire J.D. Fortune

INXS deny they fired former singer J.D. Fortune at a Hong Kong airport, as Fortune recently claimed.

INXS creative director Chris Murphy (no, not that Chris Murphy) said the band were "shocked" by Fortune's allegations and claim that while Fortune (real name Jason Bennison) was no longer in the band, he hadn't been treated in such a way.

"Not only are we shocked by the claims, even the place the supposed incident was to have taken place is a mystery to the band," Murphy told Australia's Courier-Mail newspaper.

Fortune told Global Television's Entertainment Tonight Canada that his bandmates abandoned him at a Hong Kong airport and left him with a handshake. The Mississauga, Ont. native says he's now living out of the back of a pick-up truck. Former Rockstar: Supernova winner Lukas Rossi has invited the singer to live with him and his wife in California.

"What annoys me the most after viewing Fortune's interview is the bloody slant he makes towards the founding band members," Murphy said.

"These guys are the nicest people on this planet, they are not the people he portrays."

Murphy also said INXS had made it clear to him that they could potentially rehire Fortune the next time they went on tour.

"In fact, he was next on my list to call regarding a very big recording project I am putting together for INXS at present. I guess I have no reason to call him now."

Fortune was selected to be INXS' new lead singer after he won the Rock Star: INXS reality television show in 2005. He appeared on the band's Switch album that year.

Fortune became addicted to cocaine while he was in INXS and admitted to ET Canada that this might have had something to do with being fired from the band.

Original INXS singer Michael Hutchence died of an apparent suicide (or solo sexual misadventure, depending on who you ask) in 1997.