George Michael & His Sister Were Found Dead at Home on Christmas Day 3 Years Apart — Causes of Deaths Are Known

• George Michael was close to his big sister, Melanie Panayiotou.
• He came out to her as gay, and she kept his secret.
• The pair tragically died three years apart on the same day.

George Michael and his sister Melanie Panayiotou had a close bond, and Panayiotou was among the first people the famous star could confide in. Panayiotou held Michael in the highest regard as she considered him her hero. When he came out as gay to her, she accepted him and even vowed to keep his secret hidden.

However, the singer had never come to terms with his sexuality despite finally coming out. He developed an addiction problem and felt he was not worth saving. His big sister, who was his biggest cheerleader and strong support system, pleaded with him to get help for his addictions.

Panayiotou, a hairdresser, worshipped her younger brother and even helped groom him into a teen girl's heartthrob. The pair traveled together worldwide at the peak of Michael's fame in the 1980s and 1990s with the singing duo "Wham!" along with Andrew Ridgeley.

Sadly, Michael passed away on December 25, 2016. His boyfriend at the time, Fadi Fawaz, revealed that he died alone on Christmas morning at age 53. Fawaz disclosed that he had checked up on the songwriter at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire in England, when he discovered him.

"We were supposed to be going for Christmas lunch. I went round there to wake him up, and he was just gone, lying peacefully in bed," he explained.

Fawaz stated that circumstances had been "complicated" before Michael's passing but that they had both looked forward to Christmas until things were "ruined" following his death.

He said people should remember Michael for who he was and described him as a "beautiful person." Meanwhile, Fawaz mourned his lover's untimely death on Twitter, writing, "ITs a Xmas I will never forget."

In the wake of Michael's passing, the Thames Valley Police said they would continue investigating his death following an inconclusive autopsy report. According to authorities, the "Careless Whisper" hitmaker's death was unexplained but not suspicious.

Michael's cause of death was eventually revealed three months later, in March 2017. The Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire released a statement announcing the final post-mortem report, which determined that the music star died of natural causes, much like fellow singer Tina Turner.

"As there is a confirmed natural cause of death, being Dilated Cardiomyopathy with Myocarditis and Fatty Liver, the investigation is being discontinued," the statement read.

Michael's loss devastated his sister Panayiotou, whom he had seen less of in his final years. She was left in agony over what she could have done to save him.

Panayiotou fell into an intense depression and moved back to the Hampstead house, where memories of her brother were constant. She ended up in a state of morbid obesity, which resulted in diabetes and heart disease.

Three years after Michael's passing, Panayiotou was reportedly found dead at her Hampstead northwest London home, previously owned by her brother, on the evening of Christmas Day in December 2019.

The brunette beauty was discovered by her younger sister, Yioda Panayiotou, on the third anniversary of their late brother's death. She was 55 years old.

A lawyer running Michael's music firm, John Reid, revealed the heartbreaking news to a media outlet on behalf of the family, saying, "We can confirm that very tragically Melanie has passed away suddenly."

Following the news of her death, Metropolitan Police also released a statement sharing that the authorities responded to a call by the London Ambulance Service of reports that a woman in her fifties had suddenly died. "The death is not being treated as suspicious by police," the statement read.

Seeing that her passing had been mysterious, a family member claimed that she died from a broken heart. However, it turned out Panayiotou reportedly passed away after slipping into a diabetic coma.

A coroner carried out a post-mortem, and her cause of death was revealed in March 2020, three months after her demise. Panayiotou's cause of death was certified by the Assistant Coroner for Inner London North, Jonathan Stevens.

According to the report, she died from diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication caused by high blood sugar and a lack of insulin. Her diabetes, a disease actress Gabby Sidibe also has, was determined as an underlying cause of death.

The post-mortem report also revealed that other conditions that contributed to her death include hypertensive heart disease, bronchopneumonia, and obesity.

Panayiotou, who was said to be a private person with a low profile, was laid to rest in a small funeral ceremony at Highgate Cemetery, next to her mother and Michael's unmarked grave. Before her passing, she reportedly lived as a "recluse," only leaving the house when she had to go to the hair salon and post office and occasionally to see her younger sister.

"She stayed indoors, had shopping delivered, and rarely left the house," an insider once revealed. Panayiotou reportedly sent a message to Michael's fans two days before she died in a joint statement with her sibling, their father, and the late record producer's manager, David Austin.

In the statement, they asked people to continue spreading kindness by doing "good deeds" in the late English native's memory. Following the news of Panayiotou's death, a friend disclosed the loss shattered the duo's father.

According to the source, the siblings' dad is an old man, revealing the two sisters had never worked and that their brother Michael was the one who took care of them.

The "Father Figure" singer reportedly left some of his estate, including a $120 million fortune, to his sisters when he passed. Michael and Panayiotou were reportedly more like their dad, described as "very complicated people" who valued their privacy.