George Michael: What is the pop icon’s cause of death?
George Michael, who was born Georgios Panagiotou in 1963, died on December 25 at his home in Goring-On-Thames, two hours east of London. There have long been a variety of rumors surrounding the cause of his death – from drugs to suicide. Speculations that George Michael, who died at the age of just 53, had developed a drug addiction again before his death were initially described as false.
However, Andros Georgiou, who was close friends with Michael in his youth (the boys even called each other “cousin”), publicly explained what he thought about his former friend’s death: “I think he may well have had suicidal thoughts because his mental health wasn’t necessarily the best or most stable. Still, I don’t think it was suicide.”
In an interview with BBC he further said: “My guess is that he just took too much of something, combined with antidepressants and other drugs he was taking – plus alcohol, probably. I think his heart just stopped beating.”

Suicide?
A spokesman for the family said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on the circumstances of George Michael’s death. They responded to rumors that the pop star had committed suicide. The verbatim it said:
““Since his tragic death there has been much commentary and speculation about George and the circumstances of his death. There will be many more of these in the future. The family will not comment on any speculation at this time or in the future.”“
This was preceded, among other things, by a tweet from George Michael’s former partner, Fadi Fawaz. It read: “The only thing George wanted was to DIE.” In another: “He tried to kill himself several times…now he’s done it.” Fawaz spoke out to the Daily Mirror shortly afterwards, saying that his account had been attacked by hackers and that the tweets had not come from him. The account was deleted shortly afterwards.
Since the singer died at Christmas, the suicide theories (biggest George Michael hit: “Last Christmas”) were fueled even further. The artist’s manager, Michael Lippman, emphasized in his statement that no “foul play” was involved: George Michael did not cause his own death.
Michael’s open approach to his depression fit well with supporters of the suicide theory. In the posthumously completed documentary “George Michael: Freedom,” the musician responded to the question of how he wanted to be remembered for posterity:
“You mean what should be written on my gravestone? Great songwriter. And I hope that people think that I was a person with a certain flawlessness, integrity. (…) But that is very unlikely. I think it was all a waste of time, wasted effort.”
Long period of uncertainty
The rumors were able to persist for so long because the first autopsy did not produce any definitive results. This was announced by the responsible coroner’s office in London’s Thames Valley. The final inquest in March 2017 ultimately concluded that George Michael died of natural causes. Accordingly, the cause was dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis and fatty liver. “There will be no further investigations”let the coroner know. “The family requests that the media and the public respect their privacy.”
Three months after his death, George Michael was finally able to be buried. On March 29, 2017, he was buried at Highgate Cemetery in London surrounded by close family and friends. A statement from relatives said they had gathered for a small and private ceremony to say goodbye to their beloved son, brother and friend. We would also like to thank the large fan community for their participation.
What is Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Myocarditis?
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a pathological expansion (dilatation) of the heart muscle. A change in the structure of the heart muscle and the penetration of it with scar tissue leads to the expansion of the heart cavities and thus to the enlargement of the heart. Dilated cardiomyopathy leads to reduced heart performance and limited pump function.
Dilated cardiomyopathy often occurs as a result of infectious myocarditis, i.e. inflammation of the heart muscle. Excessive alcohol consumption can also be a trigger. There are also a number of other, although rare, causes. In individual cases it often cannot be clarified beyond doubt.

The legacy
The fortune that George Michael left behind is said to be 105 million pounds, the equivalent of 123 million euros. In particular, he left a lot of money to his godchildren. In addition to his death house in Oxfordshire, Michael owned a mansion in North London’s Highgate (£8 million), a house in Los Angeles (£2.5 million) and a rental property in Sydney (£3.5 million).
His art treasures included primarily contemporary works by Banksy, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. Including half a calf placed in a glass tank (Damien Hirst, 3.5 million).
ROLLING STONE editor Arne Wilander summarized his thoughts about the musician after George Michael’s death:
“He gave us all the drama a pop star can give. And God, George Michael was a pop star. He was about the most deviant singer that England produced after Freddie Mercury, he was the most gifted songwriter for real hits, he had first the most unlikely name and then the most British one, he had an untalented partner and then none, he was first heterosexual, then bisexual and then homosexual, he sued his record company, then his record company sued him, only to finally release another record of his. He wrote a love song, which he initially set for Easter and which became the most popular Christmas song of modern times because he moved it to winter in time.”