Robbie Williams sued by Angels ‘co-writer’ who claims he earned just £7,500 from penning hit single

Ray Heffernan – who was 22 when he penned the karaoke favourite after his partner suffered a miscarriage - will take the British singer to court seeking a third of the future royalties associated with the record.

The Irish singer-songwriter was told by lawyers the 'bestseller clause' in new EU copyright law could help him recoup "lost royalties".

"Recording with Robbie was just my second time in a studio. So when the conversation turned to selling the song, I was mostly thrilled," he told Ireland's Sunday Independent.

Mr Heffernan added: "That's what you're supposed to do, right? Sell your songs to pop stars.

"They initially offered £2,500 to relinquish the rights. When I asked to be credited on the record, they raised it to £7,500.

"With the promise my name would be attached, I accepted the deal. Then boom the song took off."

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Robbie Williams has admitted to recording a demo version with Mr Heffernan in a studio in London’s Temple Bar.

But he then took it to Guy Chambers, who later became officially listed as the song’s co-writer.

It is unclear how much money the pair have made from the single, but Williams has an estimated worth of £195 million, according to The Times.

The singer has never confirmed Mr Heffernan's co-authorship and has even labelled the Irishman a 'fantasist'.

As of 2021, the single sold an estimated 1.8 million physical and digital copies in the UK.

The 1997 track spent 12 weeks in the top 10 and has since raked in around 670 million streams on Spotify.

It was voted the best song of the previous 25 years by the public at the 2005 Brit Awards after it propelled Williams to national stardom.