What Was Singer George Michael’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death?
News of the passing of pop idol George Michael on Dec. 25, 2016, was not only a shock to those in the music industry but also to Michael’s fans around the globe.
His life, however, still fascinates people all over the world today. Read on to find out a little more about the late singer including why his bandmate, Andrew Ridgeley, said Wham! broke up and what Michael’s net worth was at the time of his death.
George Michael’s cause of death
Michael was found dead by his partner, Fadi Fawaz, that Christmas morning at his home in Oxfordshire. He was 53.
His publicist released a statement on behalf of his family which read, “It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period. The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time.”
There were initial reports that Michael died of heart failure. The BBC noted that the official coroner’s report later attributed his death to natural causes and said the star was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and a fatty liver.
He was buried at Highgate Cemetery in London, near his mother’s grave.
His early days as one half of the duo Wham!
Michael, who was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, decided to form a band with Ridgeley and three others when they were in high school. The group was called The Executive but after only playing a few shows, Michael and Ridgeley became a duo in 1981.
“We were both dabbling with music but no, I persuaded George, railroaded him really into forming a band,” Ridgeley told BBC Radio 2. “I think we both had the belief that we would make it. That was the central pillar around everything else.”
The two went on to sell 30 million records worldwide, but they split in 1986.
“I think we achieved what we wanted to achieve,” Ridgeley said about their decision to break up. “It was a short time period but we had broken America, we had been a worldwide success, and certainly George, as a songwriter, was outgrowing Wham!”
Michael’s solo career and net worth when he died
After his Wham! days, Michael enjoyed a ton of success as a solo artist with hits including “Faith,” “Father Figure,” “One More Try,” and “Freedom.”
Michael’s “Freedom 90” music video is one of the most memorable of that decade and featured supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, and Cindy Crawford lip-syncing his words.
Michael sold over 115 million records around the world and according to Celebrity Net Worth, was worth $200 million at the time of his death. His two sisters, Yioda and Melanie, were the beneficiaries of his estate.
On Dec. 25, 2019, exactly three years after her’s brother death, Melanie was found dead in her home. Her family did not reveal how she died but police did not treat her death as suspicious.
