Pop superstar George Michael has died peacefully at home, his publicist said.
The 53-year-old, who was set to release a documentary in 2017, rose to fame as a member of Wham!, known for their hits Club Tropicana and Last Christmas. He went on to have a highly successful solo career including the hits Careless Whisper and Outside.
Michael – who was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou – sold more than 100 million albums throughout a career spanning almost four decades. His most recent album, Symphonica, was released in 2014.
Thames Valley police told the BBC an ambulance attended the house in Goring, Oxfordshire, at 1.42pm.They said the death was being treated as “unexplained but not suspicious” and they would not comment further until after a postmortem.
In a statement, the star’s publicist said: “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.
Clearly, 2016, you didn't understand our previous conversation about getting through the holiday season without losing anyone.