Wham! Ex wins a share of George Michael £97m will

WHEN George Michael’s exlover, Texan Kenny Goss, demanded cash from his £97 million estate, the pop superstar’s family are said to have vowed: ‘He won’t get a penny.’

Now, however, I can reveal that Michael’s trustees have agreed a financial settlement with Goss after a long-running court battle.

Art dealer Goss, 62, had wanted payments of £15,000 a month, claiming that Michael had supported him financially, even though they had split up years earlier.

He also questioned the ex-Wham! singer’s state of mind when he signed his will in 2013. The settlement he’s agreed with the trustees, Christopher Organ and Michael’s sister, Panayiota Panayiotou, known as Yioda, 62, is confidential.

Documents just released by the High Court in London reveal that Yioda will also inherit the multimillion-pound estate of her sister, Melanie, who died aged 59 exactly three years after her famous brother, on Christmas Day 2019, after falling into a diabetic coma.

Melanie died without making a will and, under the laws of intestacy, her father, Jack, would have been entitled to a share of her estate. But he has disclaimed any interest in it and the money will instead go to Yioda.

Michael died from heart and liver disease in 2016, aged 53, with the bulk of his estate going to his older sisters, his father, Jack, 85, and friends. But he left nothing to Goss, nor to his boyfriend at the time, Fadi Fawaz, who found his body.

Goss had issued a lawsuit, seeking reasonable financial provision from Michael’s estate under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, saying when George died he was being ‘wholly maintained’ by him.

Now, procedural judge Master Kaye has made a Tomlin order — a form of consent order — ending the dispute between the two sides.

If either party fails to comply, the opposing side can take them back to court without needing to start a new lawsuit.