After George’s lover died and then his mum, he would often ask me: ‘What have I done?’
FOR fans of George Michael, Christmas will always be a time of emotional turmoil.
His iconic Wham! song Last Christmas has soundtracked the season for more than 35 years.
But his death aged 53 on Christmas Day four years ago will cast its shadow for just as long.
And for those close to the singer, the loss on the same day last year of his beloved sister Melanie, 59, has made the anniversary unbearably poignant.
Andros Georgiou, a close friend of George from childhood, says such an alignment of tragedy is in keeping with the star’s life.
He said: “They always say there is a tough price to pay for fame – and it has been a tough price.
“George was cursed. He lost the love of his life, Anselmo.
“Then his mum died. That was his thing, he always used to say, ‘ What have I done?’ ”
George’s song Jesus to a Child was a tribute to lover Anselmo Feleppa, a Brazilian dress designer who died in 1993, a year into their relationship, aged 33.
And he told of being “spiritually crushed” by the death of his mum Lesley, a dancer, four years later.
HEART
Andros says the deaths of George, from a heart condition, and Melanie – who fell into a diabetic coma – only served to deepen that cycle of tragedy.
He said: “It’s impossible, how could this happen? To die the same day as your brother, who had died three years before.
“I think the family is cursed. I can’t get my head round it.”
And he says he worries now about their older sister Yioda, 62.
He said: “I’d been emailing Melanie before she died. I couldn’t believe it when I heard.
“She did suffer and didn’t have a lot of friends. George and her were so close.
“Now I just worry about Yioda. I can’t imagine what goes through her mind at Christmas.
“I know what goes through my mind. I hate Christmas. It’s an awful time.
“Last Christmas is such a profound record, it’s played everywhere. You can’t help but be reminded all the time of George.”
The two pals were the same age, and Andros spent much of his youth touring with George.
Since they were kids their families would spend Christmas together – much happier ones – and Andros has shared some heartwarming snaps chronicling their time together over the years.
He said: “We were together every single day, from day one – every album, from the first
To die the same day as your brother did 3 years before.. I think it’s a curse ANDROS GEORGIOU ON DEATH OF MELANIE ON CHRISTMAS DAY
Wham! record until the Older album. He made me president of his Aegean label, which we owned together.
“People don’t realise, apart from our close friends, it was a brotherhood. It sounds crazy but he came first – even before my wife.
“She understood, and she put up with that for 24 years. He was the single most important person to me. Every day, I feel him in my life.”
George was also godfather to Andros’s son James Kennedy, 28, now a reality TV star in the US.
But despite the pair’s closeness, they had fallen out in the decade before George’s death.
Andros, 58, has always regretted not properly healing their rift before he died.
He said: “That hurts the most, that I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
The only place now to say those goodbyes is at Highgate cemetery in London – where
George’s grave is accessible only to family and friends.
Andros feels there should be a proper tribute for George where fans, too, can remember him. He said: “The gravestone now has a cross on it, but there is no writing. There is no tribute, no memorial.
“It’s like he’s been forgotten – there’s nothing planned.
“All the properties where he lived have been put on the market or have been sold. It’s so sad.
“There is nowhere to go to remember him. It’s weird. I can’t understand it.” He has even
There’s no memorial… I think he’d have liked his fans to have something ANDROS GEORGIOU ON LACK OF SITE TO CELEBRATE SINGER
considered crowdfunding a memorial which would commemorate the music that George will always be remembered for.
He said: “I’d like to make a bronze plaque of his four main records and put it at the studio where he recorded his first album.
“It was studio 2 at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, where most of Faith was recorded.
“Maybe having the plaque there would be a good thing.
“I believe George would have wanted that for the fans – he always said he was nothing without his fans.
“I think he would have liked them
to have something.” Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, George rose to fame in the 1980s with Andrew Ridgeley in Wham!, before going solo.
He went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide.
Four of his five albums went to No 1, as did seven singles – including his first solo, 1984’s Careless Whisper, recorded for Wham!’s second album.
He left most of his £97.6million estate to his sisters.
But while his songwriting won three Ivor Novello Awards, George was uneasy about fame and always struggled with the impact it had on his life.
He once said: “I’m sure that most people find it hard to believe that stardom can make you miserable. After all, everybody wants to be a star.
“I certainly did, and I worked hard to get it. But I was miserable, and I don’t want to feel that way again.”
Last year George’s estate released posthumous song This Is How (We Want You To Get High).
But Andros did not rate the release – and reckons George “would have been turning in his grave”.
Now he is planning to bring out a
CLOSE Mexico in 1994 string of tracks that he recorded with George and his band Boogie Box High in the 10 years from 1987. It includes covers of the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive and David Bowie’s Space Oddity, as well as new tracks Galaxy, Golden Soul and Soul Boy.
BRILLIANT
Andros explained: “A couple of them didn’t make the Wham! album so I took them. They’re brilliant and I want the fans to hear them.
“I’ve also got some original tracks we made together, about five in total. They’re currently at the mixing stage – I plan to release them in 2021.”
He said: “I’d told George I was
GODFATHER George with James, 1992
OLDER Cake and candles as James turns two
in 1994
FREEDOM Pair out on the town
in 1988 recording these covers and had written a few songs. He got so excited about it, he came down to the studio and wanted to be involved – he insisted he do the vocals.
“We had a great time doing it. Those are great memories.”
As for Christmas, Andros knows he will always find it hard.
He said: “Not a day goes by without him coming into my head. I sometimes feel he’s still with me, looking over me. It’s comforting, but at the same time brings me to tears.
“But we still have his music – that will live on for ever. I will do everything I can to keep his memory alive.”