George’s sister died from diabetic coma
GEORGE Michael’s sister died after falling into a diabetic coma on the third anniversary of the superstar’s death, it has been revealed.
The body of Melanie Panayiotou, 59, was found on Christmas Day last year at her £6.2million home in Hampstead, north London, which used to belong to George.
The cause of death had remained a secret, with a family source claiming at the time she had died from a broken heart.
But the death certificate shows she suffered diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication caused by lack of insulin and sky-high blood sugar.
Diabetes was given as the underlying cause of death, with other significant conditions being listed as hypertensive heart disease, obesity and bronchopneumonia.
The death certificate was signed by Jonathan Stevens, assistant coroner for Inner London North. Melanie trained as a hairdresser before her brother hit the big time in Wham! She then used to accompany him and his bandmate
Andrew Ridgeley on their tours but kept a low-profile. It is thought she is buried next to George and their mother Leslie at an unmarked grave in Highgate cemetery, London.
Mourners at her funeral included Shirlie Kemp, a backing singer for Wham!, and her husband Martin Kemp from Spandau Ballet.
Stress
Two days before Melanie’s death, she sent a message to George’s fans in a joint statement with her sister Yioda, father Jack and George’s manager David Austin. They asked that people continue to do “good deeds in his memory”. George was 53 when he died on Christmas Day, 2016, at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxon. The causes of his death were heart and liver disease. Most of his estate was left to his sisters.
Following Melanie’s death, a friend said: “Neither Melanie nor Yioda ever worked, George took care of them. They were both very similar to him, very private people and very complicated people.”
Diabetic ketoacidosis happens when a severe lack of insulin means toxic chemicals called ketones are released. Causes include high blood glucose levels, missing insulin injections, illness, infections and a high or prolonged level of stress.