Radio Brisvaani
British pop singer George Michael, who rose to fame with the band Wham!, died unexpectedly of heart failure on Christmas Day, his long-time manager has said.
Michael’s publicist confirmed his death in a short statement earlier today, saying the star passed away “peacefully at home” though made no mention of the cause of death. He was 53.
However, the Hollywood Reporter claims Michael’s manager, Michael Lippman, revealed the singer succumbed to heart failure.
“I’m devastated,” Mr Lippman said.
He said he received a phone call on Christmas morning informing him that Michael had been found “in bed, lying peacefully”.
Thames Valley Police said the ambulance service had attended a property in Goring in Oxfordshire, where the singer lived, on Sunday and a 53-year-old man was confirmed dead at the scene.
Police did not verify the exact cause of death, but added there were no suspicious circumstances.
The British star was in the process of releasing a documentary film, Freedom.
It included unseen, archive footage and interviews and was set to air in March next year.
He was best known for his “Club Tropicana”, “Last Christmas”, “Careless Whisper” and “Faith”. He won a string of awards including two Grammies and three Brits.
Several iconic British musicians have died in 2016 including David Bowie in January and Status Quo guitarist Rich Parfitt, who died in a Spanish hospital on Saturday.
Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou to a Greek Cypriot father and English mother in north London in 1963.
He met Andrew Ridgeley at high school and the pair went on to form Wham! in 1981.
With their good looks, perma-tans, highlighted hair and hedonistic image, the duo captured the go-getting spirit of the age and fast became one of Britain’s biggest pop acts.
In 1985, Wham! became the first Western pop band to perform in China as the country was slowly beginning to open up to the outside world under reformist leader Deng Xiaoping.
Following years of speculation over his sexuality, Michael came out as gay in 1998 after being arrested for committing a lewd act in the public toilet of a Los Angeles park.
It was the first of several incidents that were to overshadow his musical career in his later years.
He notched up police cautions for cannabis and crack cocaine possession and in 2010 was sentenced to eight weeks in jail after crashing his car into a London shop while under the influence of cannabis and prescription medication.
In 2011, he spent several weeks in hospital in Vienna after contracting pneumonia, later saying he had been close to death.
There were fresh concerns in 2013 when he had to be airlifted to hospital after falling out of his chauffeur-driven Range Rover as it travelled at high speed on a motorway
