George Michael's Death: The Details Behind His Sudden Passing

George Michael was just 53 years old when he died unexpectedly on Christmas Day in 2016

George Michael's music captivated listeners worldwide since he rose to fame in the 1980s, so his sudden passing in 2016 shocked many fans.

After first entering the spotlight as a member of the mega-successful pop duo Wham!, Michael went on to launch a solo career — and sold millions of records. But behind the scenes, his personal life was not without struggle. In the '90s, he lost his first love, Anselmo Feleppa, and his mother, Lesley Angold Panayiotou, leading to one of the darkest times in his life.

In the following years, Michael found himself in a legal battle with his record label. In 1998, he was arrested in a Beverly Hills park — which ended up outing him as gay to the entire world. He then faced a series of legal challenges involving drug possession and impaired driving, ultimately leading to jail time.

Related: From Wham! to Solo Success: George Michael's Life in Photos

While Michael was able to put some of his hardships behind him before his death in 2016, his family and friends hope that he will be remembered for his generosity and charity work instead of his troubles.

“He had some issues at the end of his life, but he always had a good heart, and he was a fine man who really believed in helping people,” Michael’s former longtime partner Kenny Goss told PEOPLE in 2022. “‘Who needs to be a damn billionaire when people are starving? How much money do you really need in your account?’ His philosophy was if he didn't have the cash to help the hospitals, he'd say, ‘Borrow the damn money. I can always make more money. I'm a talented man.’ ”

So what happened to George Michael? Here are all the details of his sudden death and the legacy he left behind.

When did George Michael die?

Michael died at home on Dec. 25, 2016.

How did George Michael die?

In the days following Michael’s death, an autopsy was conducted that led to “inconclusive” results. At the time, the Thames Valley police released a statement saying that Michael’s death was “unexplained but not suspicious.”

Over the course of the next few months, extensive additional testing was done, which ultimately determined Michael’s death to be from natural causes. According to the coroner investigating the singer's death, Michael had been suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.

Per the Mayo Clinic, dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart when the left ventricle stretches and fails to pump blood. Heart failure can occur as the muscle becomes weaker. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart usually caused by a viral infection.

Meanwhile, fatty liver disease is the buildup of fat in the liver, which, according to Mayo Clinic, is most commonly caused by alcoholism. (The disease can, however, affect people who are not heavy drinkers.) Other frequent causes of fatty liver include obesity and diabetes.

“Enquiries into the death of George Michael have been concluded and the final post mortem report received," the coroner said in a statement. "As there is a confirmed natural cause of death, being Dilated Cardiomyopathy with Myocarditis and Fatty Liver, the investigation is being discontinued and there is no need for an inquest or any further enquiries."

Where did George Michael die?

Michael was found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, a village part of South Oxfordshire, England. His lifeless body was discovered by his boyfriend Fadi Fawaz, who says he found Michael unconscious in bed.

According to a 911 call, Fawaz tried to wake Michael up for an hour before calling paramedics. Once speaking to the emergency dispatcher, Fawaz said that the singer was “cold” and “blue.” When the operator asked Fawaz if he believed Michael was “beyond help,” he explained how he had spent an “hour” trying to revive him and now believed he was “gone.”

The operator went on to inquire if the passing was “expected,” to which Fawaz reportedly responded: “No, no, no, no, no, no, I’ve been waiting for him to wake him up for like, you know, for hours and he wouldn’t wake up, I went to wake him up and he was gone, you know, he’s not there.”

In the following days, Fawaz tweeted about the situation, writing that it had been difficult to spend Christmas morning trying to revive his partner.

“ITs a xmas i will never forget finding your partner dead peacefully in bed first thing in the morning.. I will never stop missing you xx,” he tweeted.

How old was George Michael when he died?

He was 53 years old at the time of his death.

What were George Michael’s last words?

In the days leading up to Michael’s death, he was working on a documentary about his life, which was later titled George Michael: Freedom. The 90-minute documentary aired nearly a year after his death and shared some of Michael’s final conversations. In it, he opened up about the death of his first love, Anselmo, and his mother, Lesley.

Michael also shared that he felt like he had been “picked on by the gods.” He described the time period between Feleppa’s AIDS diagnosis and his mother’s death as some of his life's darkest moments.

“From the day I found out about my partner to the day I can say I was on the mend from my mother, it was just constant fear. It was either fear of death, or fear of the next bereavement,” he recalled. “I’d never felt that kind of depression. It was the darkest time.”

Not much is known about Michael’s final moments, as he is presumed to have been alone the night before his death. According to Fawaz, he did not spend any time with Michael on the night of Christmas Eve.

“I never saw him. I fell asleep in my car and I never saw him that night,” Fawaz told The Mirror.

Why was there speculation surrounding George Michael’s death?

In the months that followed Michael’s death, the public raised suspicions about the cause. Some fans suspected his death had to do with Michael’s prior drug usage.

In 2008, Michael had been arrested for drug possession and later admitted to The Guardian that he had been smoking crack cocaine at the time. In that same interview, he said that he still smoked at least seven marijuana joints a day.

Then after a 2010 car accident, for which he was charged with driving while unfit through drink or drugs, he spent four months in jail — and decided he needed to make a change.

“I realized it had to be something to do with me. It shook me out of my denial,” Michael said. “After that crash happened, I started drug counseling and was two weeks in detox, none of which I made public. It feels so completely behind me now. It really does.”

But according to Michael‘s childhood friend Andros Georgiou, the singer had let hard drugs “back in his life” and Georgiou claimed it was the cause of his death. He said that he believed Michael had accidentally taken “too much of something, mixed with the anti-depressants and the other drugs he was on, with alcohol.”

Georgiou also speculated that Fawaz had something to do with Michael’s death, despite the Thames Valley police sharing that Michael’s death was “not suspicious.” This led to harsh criticism of Fawaz in the media, and he later shared that it had been “tough, shocking and upsetting” to be vilified by the public.

In addition to speculation that Michael’s death may have been drug-related, others believed Michael may have died by suicide. This theory was only fueled by tweets from Fawaz's Twitter account, which claimed that the only thing Michael “wanted is to DIE,” and he had attempted to “kill himself many times.” Fawaz later stated that his account had been hacked and he had never sent the tweets.

Meanwhile, following all the questioning around Michael’s death, his family refused to speculate. In a statement, the family said that they did not “wish to comment in relation to any such speculation, whether current or in the future.”

All speculation was finally put to rest in March 2017, when it was determined that Michael died from natural causes, stemming from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.

How did the public react to George Michael’s death?

Following the news of Michael’s death, there was an outpouring of love from friends, family and the public. Celebrities like Elton John, Madonna and Ellen DeGeneres all spoke out about his death.

Melissa Etheridge shared that she believed Michael’s “beautiful voice and his beautiful face and his beautiful moves and his beautiful music were such a gift.”

James Corden told PEOPLE that Michael was the inspiration for Carpool Karaoke, sharing that he “felt incredibly lucky to be in his orbit for a moment.”

Meanwhile, those local to Michael’s neighborhood gathered outside his home, leaving flowers, teddy bears, cards and photos. Neighbors remembered him fondly and said they had often seen him around town walking his dogs and sometimes attending Christmas Eve mass.

“Most of my dealings were with his staff, and George employed really decent people and treated them with respect. He regarded them as part of the family and was kind and generous to them. He was a very good neighbor,” one neighbor told PEOPLE.

Related: George Michael's Ex-Partner and Friends Remember Star in New Doc: 'He Always Had a Good Heart'

Michael’s publicist said in a statement that his family and friends had been “touched beyond words by the incredible outpouring of love” from fans, thanking them for the “many, many, kind words.”

“For someone whose life was ultimately about his music and the love he had for his family and friends, his fans and the world at large, there could be no more fitting tribute,” she said. “From the bottom of our hearts we thank those who, rightly, have chosen to celebrate his life and legacy at this most distressing of times.”

Fawaz also spoke out, writing on Instagram, “I will never stop missing you George the kind and the most beautiful man ever.”

What legacy did George Michael leave?

It wasn’t until after Michael’s death that many people learned of his secret charity work and generous donations to those in need. Over the course of his life, Michael reportedly donated to different charities, gave free concerts to nurses, worked at a homeless shelter and helped struggling mothers.

On one occasion, Michael anonymously donated thousands of dollars to a woman for IVF treatment after seeing her on a talk show discussing her struggles with fertility. Not only did Michael send her flowers when he learned she had a miscarriage but also later celebrated when he was told she eventually was able to welcome a baby girl. It was only after the baby’s birth that Michael revealed he was the anonymous donor.

"I just want to remember him for his wonderful music and his kindness, which people are commenting on," Elton John said of Michael during a tribute concert in 2017. "He was the kindest, most generous man, and did it without wanting any publicity. I've seen him being so kind to so many people. I'll miss him so much for his music but more than anything for his humanity."

Related: George Michael's Family Thanks Fans for 'Kind Messages' Ahead of Singer's Death Anniversary: 'They Lift Us'

On top of that, Michael’s musical career with Wham! and as a solo artist has left a lasting impression on the music industry. His music continues to be popular around the world, and the film Last Christmas was even inspired by his discography. In 2023, he was named an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"[It's] obviously a great privilege, and I'm sure that he would recognize it as such. He was aware of the meaning of accolades from his peers," Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley told PEOPLE after hearing of the honor. "He would be very rightly proud, and he deserves his place there."

Michael's longtime friend continued: "He is a genuine legend and an icon of contemporary music. He was a supernova in a firmament of shining lights and stars, and he was probably the finest singing voice and songwriter of his generation. There ain't too many that held a candle to him."

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