George Michael’s sister Melanie Panayiotou has died at the age of 55 exactly three years since the singer’s death on Christmas Day 2016.
The hairdresser was found by her older sister Yioda Panayiotou, 57, at her home in Hampstead, north west London on Wednesday, December 25.
Melanie and her brother were close, and she was left part of his estate – which included a $100 million fortune and a Grade II listed mansion in Highgate, North London – after his death.
She has spoken fondly of her brother in the past, and just days ago released a joint statement in which she told his fans that their kind messages ‘lift us when things are tough’.
In November she stood up for her brother in a magazine article, saying he was ‘my ‘very proud to be gay’ brother, contrary to what you may have read recently.’
Tragically, her little brother George was found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day 2016, aged 53.
Melanie’s last public words – just 48 hours before her death – were about her love for older brother George, and she and other members of her family asked that people continue to do ‘good deeds in his memory’.