NEW YORK -- John Mellencamp apparently still carries a torch for Meg Ryan.

The Indiana-based musician, 62, responded with an expletive when asked about reports circulating this summer that he and the "When Harry Met Sally" actress had split up after more than three years of dating, although he didn't explicitly address their status.

"I'm very happy with the time I've spent with Meg Ryan," he told The Associated Press. "She's a beautiful girl and I know that I will never, ever, ever be with a funnier girl than her. Not gonna happen. I'm grateful for the three and a half years we've been together."

So is it over?

"Nothing's over," he said. "Nothing's over. I never say die for anything. Do you ever quit on anything?"

The thrice-divorced Mellencamp mentioned that Ryan had taken a photograph that appeared on the musician's new album, "Plain Spoken."

A spokesman for Ryan, who's 52, did not immediately return requests for comment.