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Ricky Martin Defends Versace Murder Drama As Respectful

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LOS ANGELES (CBSMiami/AP) — Ricky Martin is reassuring Gianni Versace's longtime partner that the pair is being treated with respect in a TV show about Versace's death murder in Miami Beach.

Related: The Versace Murder: A South Beach Story Pt. 1

"I'll make sure people fall in love with your relationship with Gianni," Martin, who plays Antonio D'Amico in FX's "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story," recounted telling him.

Martin said he spoke by phone Wednesday to D'Amico after he had publicly criticized the series for what he called inaccuracies. It's in production and set to air in January.

Executive producer Ryan Murphy, taking part in a panel discussion Wednesday with Martin and others working on the project, said D'Amico may have been judging it based on a paparazzi photo snapped during filming outside Versace's Miami Beach mansion. It's where the famed fashion designer was shot by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.

Related: The Caretaker Who Found Versace's Killer

But Murphy said the series is a drama and not a documentary, adding, "you have to be respectful but make it your own." It's part of his "American Crime Story" anthology that began with the Emmy-winning "The People v. O.J. Simpson."

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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