AceShowbiz - Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am regrets missing his chance to introduce Michael Jackson to Cheryl Cole before the King of Pop's untimely death in 2009 - because he's convinced the pair would have made a "great" duet.

The "Boom Boom Pow" hitmaker gushed to Jackson about the Girls Aloud beauty, and reveals he was desperate to bring both stars into the studio together for a collaboration. The rapper tells Britain's The Sun, "I told him (Jackson) Cheryl was the hottest thing in the U.K. and could sing and dance - basically, she was the complete package."

"He would have worked with her, no doubt, and it would have been something special. They are both total perfectionists when it comes to their work so it would have been something really big. It's just a shame it can never happen now."

But the hip-hop star is convinced British singer Cole will be a success if she wants to launch a career Stateside: "There are still lots of great artists waiting to work with Cheryl when she gets over to the U.S. - The Peas, Justin Bieber and Usher. But her and Michael would have created something that would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Michael was excited about everything I told him about Cheryl. It could have been one of the great collaborations of recent history."