George Michael's Childhood Friend Makes New Tragic Claims About His Death

George Michael was well known as one half of the duo Wham!, along with Andrew Ridgeley. The two formed their band as teenagers and shot to fame with their hit, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," as per Biography. Michael went on to pursue a solo career not long after Wham!'s initial success, and his first album, "Faith," has since sold over 25 million copies. He also sang duets with a number of other famous artists, including Elton John and Aretha Franklin. His duet with the latter, "I Knew You Were Waiting," won Michael his first Grammy award.

The "Father Figure" singer died on Christmas Day in 2016 at the age of 53. He was found by his partner, Fadi Fawaz, unresponsive in his bed, per the Daily Record. Following an autopsy, the coroner ruled that Michael had died from natural causes that included dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and a fatty liver. After the cause of death was revealed, Michael's former partner of 13 years, Kenny Goss, told the Mirror that he believed the pop artist's body had "just given up" after years of weakness and poor health. In the years prior to his death, he had fought off a nasty bout of pneumonia and survived a car accident, according to The Guardian.

Goss wasn't the only one to speculate about Michael's premature death. The "One More Try" singer's childhood friend, Andros Georgiou, also shared with the world his own suspicions regarding the circumstances around Michael's death.

In an interview with the Mirror published December 25, George Michael's childhood friend, Andros Georgiou, spoke with the publication about the legendary singer's death five years prior. The music producer revealed that many years before Michael died, he fell in love with a Brazilian dress designer by the name of Anselmo Feleppa. A year after their relationship began, Feleppa contracted AIDS and died in 1993. "George was the love of [Feleppa's] life and if he hadn't died I think George would still be here," Georgiou stated. He went on to add that the "Last Christmas" artist "was quite lost" when Feleppa died.

The Wham! singer spoke about his relationship with Feleppa back in 2007 on BBC radio's "Desert Island Discs" (via The Sun). He called Feleppa "the first love of my entire life" and added that although his death was "tragic," meeting him was "a wonderful experience" for Michael. 

While the heartbreak Michael went through after losing Feleppa may not have been the cause of his death, it may have led to excessive drug and alcohol use. Georgiou revealed on the "Victoria Derbyshire" show in early 2017 that Michael had been partaking in "hard drugs" prior to his death, per The Wrap. Michael's friend speculated that the singer "took too much of something" the night he died, adding, "I think his heart just stopped beating." Following Michael's autopsy, the family opted to keep the toxicology reports private.