‘It was his inner conflict that ultimately made him so compelling’
GEORGE MICHAEL 1963-2016
IT IS a haunting image, a famous music star staring out from the window of his country home as the village Christmas procession passed by – life going on without him.
To his fans he was the defining pop idol of their generation, but this last sighting of George Michael reveals that he died the death of a recluse.
Last night his boyfriend disclosed how the singer-songwriter, who gave us one of the most loved Christmas songs of all time, died alone on Christmas morning, at the age of just 53.
Fadi Fawaz, a celebrity hairdresser, who had been in a relationship with the star since 2011, said he discovered him when he went to his home in Oxfordshire as the pair had been planning to spend the day together.
He told The Daily Telegraph: “We were supposed to be going for Christmas lunch. I went round there to wake him up and he was just gone, lying peacefully in bed. We don’t know what happened yet.
“Everything had been very complicated recently, but George was looking forward to Christmas, and so was I. Now everything is ruined. I want people to remember him the way he was. He was a beautiful person.”
In recent years the hedonistic lifestyle Michael became famous for had left the once dashingly handsome pop icon a bloated version of himself.
It can also be revealed that over the past year he is thought to have been battling a spiralling heroin addiction.
A source revealed yesterday that Michael had been previously treated in hospital for an overdose.
The source told The Daily Telegraph: “He’s been rushed to A&E on several occasions. He used heroin. I think it’s amazing he’s lasted as long as he has.”
Cardiac arrest – the cause of death according to the singer’s manager, Michael Lippman – is common among heroin users. It was a deeply sad death for a man whose bravery in challenging the world to come to terms with his sexuality was widely admired, but who was dogged by the shadow of Aids.
The condition took several friends and at least one lover, and had initially forced him to keep the truth about his homosexuality hidden for fear of terrifying his mother about the consequences.
In 2007 he asked the BBC not to broadcast an interview in which he discussed his HIV fears. In the documentary he is said to have admitted to Stephen Fry that he had not taken a test for at least three years because he was afraid it might be positive.
Neighbours near his Mill Cottage home in Goring-on-Thames, near Oxford, which Michael bought for a reported £1.5 million in 1999, spoke movingly yesterday about his last months.
Outside the cottage, two reindeer sculptures lit by fairy lights were illuminated in the garden, while a Christmas wreath covered in apples, berries and pine cones hung on a side door.
The manager of the nearby pub, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Michael had been a regular face at the bar, but in recent years his appearances became few and far between.
“He changed over the years, got a lot bigger and wore glasses. He was very self-conscious. He just did not look like George Michael any more.
“It’s very sad. I went down to lay a candle outside his house with a group and they said the last time he was seen was watching the torchlight procession on Christmas Eve from the window.” Residents told how Michael chose to buy his home in Goring-on-Thames after he visited the area with Geri Halliwell and no one recognised him.
They said the star had become less visible in recent years and was rarely seen out and about, unless it was to buy a packet of Rizla cigarette papers from the local newsagents.
Neighbours fear he spent Christmas Eve either alone or with his housekeeper. Malcolm Allport, 80, reported seeing Christmas deliveries arriving, but no guests.
Church warden David Beddall, 77, said: “He came to the midnight service last year but he didn’t come this year.
“He decorated the garden with Christmas lights so we knew he was there but we didn’t see him.”
Michael had maintained a low public profile in recent years, only communicating with fans through Twitter where he had insisted he was “perfectly fine”.
In his last Facebook post, the star said he was busy putting the finishing touches to a documentary called Freedom, which is due to air in March 2017.
On his 53rd birthday, on June 25, Michael apologised to fans for his absence from the limelight. He wrote on Twitter: “To my lovelies and fans around the world, thank you for all the birthday wishes, I am truly overwhelmed. I am looking forward to spending it with friends and family, thanks again, love The Singing Greek!”
The once fresh-faced boy from East Finchley who had wowed the world as one half of Wham! alongside his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley, had long struggled with substance abuse.
In 2014-15 it was claimed Michael had secretly spent a year in the £190,000-a-month Kusnacht Practice in Switzerland after becoming addicted to crack cocaine.
Michael’s spokesman said he had not entered rehab but instead had been “spending time in Europe” on an “extended break”.
What is certain is that the singer had a close brush with death as a result of contracting pneumonia in 2011, while on tour.