Elton John sued over 'Nikita' lyrics

Hobbs, a photo-journalist and lyricist, has filed the lawsuit in Illinois federal court, claiming he wrote a song called "Natasha" back in 1982 based on his affair with a Russian cruise ship waitress and three years later John stole his idea for his 1985 hit, TMZ reported.

However, a representative for the English singer-songwriter has dismissed the lawsuit as "baseless".

"In short, the suit is completely meritless. The fact that Hobbs has chosen to wait more than 26 years after the release of 'Nikita' to bring this lawsuit calls his motives into question. Elton John and Taupin fully expect to prevail against this baseless claim," the representative said in a statement. PTI NDS