George Michael's Sister Melanie Panayiotou Found Dead on Anniversary of His Death
The sister of George Michael, Melanie Panayiotou, 55 was found dead in her London home on Christmas Eve. Her body was discovered by the older sister, Yioda. It's eerie because she died on the third anniversary of his death.
Metropolitan police said that they were called by the London ambulance service shortly after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to reports of the sudden death of a woman, according to the Guardian.
Police are reportedly not treating the hairdresser's death as suspicious.
Panayiotou's family confirmed her death in a statement through their lawyer. "We can confirm that very tragically, Melanie has passed away suddenly. We would simply ask that the family's privacy be respected at this very sad time," the statement read. "There will be no further comment."
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The Anniversary of George Michael's Death
Michael was close to Panayiotou, having left £50m in his will to her. Yioda Panayiotou also inherited a large part of his estate upon his passing which was three years ago.
Just a few days before her death, Melanie Panayiotou left a Christmas message alongside her older sister, their father Jack, and Michael's former manager David Austin.
"We have come full circle again, and Christmas time (and the holidays) are upon us once more," they said in a message shared on Michael's website. "I think we as a family, (there are lots of us, we Greek Cypriots, we're everywhere) have come to fully appreciate (although we already knew really), quite how much love there is out there in the world, for both Yog [Michael's nickname] and his beautiful music.
"We know how much his lyrics can offer support when things are tough and help celebrate when times are good and life is going well ... and that is just as powerful now as if he were still with us, and as many of you say in your messages, it's a gift."
RIP George Michael And His Sister Melanie
In the edition of The Big Issue, Panayiotou spoke about her hopes for the recently-released romantic comedy Last Christmas, which was inspired by Michael's music. "My family and I hope you all enjoy the film, and Yog's [Michael's] music old and new, woven beautifully into this fun, easy tale of love and self-love," she said at the time.
"As many of you know, Yog adored Christmas and he loved the idea of this film. I am sure he will be enjoying Emilia [Clarke's] amazing light bulb smile, something they share, across the celestial miles!"
George Michael:A Legendary Pop Star
Melanie is survived by Yioda, 57, as well as their and Michael's father Kyriacos, known as Jack. Melanie, Michael and Yioda's mother, Lesley, died in 1997, the BBC reports.
Michael was 53 years old when he died on Christmas Day in 2016.
In March 2017, the coroner revealed that the singer died of natural causes and suffered a dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.
Michael’s relatives wrote that they will be “swerving the bad and enjoying the good” as much as they can in the New Year, adding “2019 has been difficult and busy for George’s hardworking team.”
“We are, as usual, staying as positive as possible, which is what we and Yog would wish for you all, and we are all hoping for a peaceful 2020."
