PHOTOSSad Farewell: George Michael Laid To Rest In London — Inside The Heartbreaking Memorial
March 29 2017, Published 6:09 p.m. ET
It's been over three months since George Michael died suddenly on Christmas Day last year, and today, the singer was finally laid to rest at Highgate Cemetery in London. Dozens turned out for the funeral of the former Wham! singer, including his old band mates, family and friends, and boyfriend Fadi Fawaz. Fadi found the singer dead in his home, but was cleared of all wrongdoing by the Thames Valley Police in early February, RadarOnline.com reported. Still, it took weeks before the coroner’s office returned Michael’s body to his family after a series of prolonged toxicology tests. According to Radar, the results revealed that the singer died of heart disease and a fatty liver.
The day of the service had been kept a secret to prevent fans from bombarding the ceremony, RadarOnline.com reported, but fans still adorned the gate outside his North London home with flowers and photos of the singer.
Michael’s sister Melanie Panayiotou arranged the funeral service, which was held at the Chapel of Rest, the Daily Mail reported.
Fadi was the last to arrive for the service. In a chilling phone call to 911 on the day of George’s death, Fadi told the operator, “I’ve been trying to wake him up for the last hour but it’s not possible. He’s gone…He’s blue, he’s cold.”
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Perhaps Fadi wanted to avoid fellow funeral attendee Kenny Goss, who dated Michael for 15 years and called him the love of his life.
Also in attendance were Michael’s former Wham! band mates, including Andrew Ridgeley, Helen 'Pepsi' DeMacque-Crockett, and Shirlie Kemp. At the Brit Awards in February, Andrew said when George died, it “felt like the sky had fallen in.”
After the ceremony, guests, including model Kate Moss, headed back to Michael’s home for a reception.
Michael’s former publicist released a statement confirming the funeral was held today and described it as a “small, private ceremony” for “family and close friends.”
Are you shocked George’s funeral took so long to come together? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
