A new book reveals that George Michael donated millions while keeping it a secret
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
George Michael gave away millions in secret – and he didn’t want anyone to know.
The British singer-songwriter who first captured hearts with Wham! and later achieved worldwide success as a solo artist died on Christmas Day 2016. Known for his endless hits and unmistakable voice, Michael has also remained in the headlines for his personal life which is often in the public eye.
While his public life was endlessly scrutinized, some of Michael’s unusual actions were largely unknown. The late star, who would have turned 63 on June 25, is the subject of a new book, “Tonight the Music Seems So Loud.”
OZZY OSBOURNE’S LAST HUMOROUS WORK RAISED AN UNREASONABLE $190M WITH FITNESS
After George Michael’s death in 2016, the public learned the true extent of his quiet generosity. Over the years, he donated millions – often anonymously – to causes including child welfare, HIV/AIDS charities, homeless shelters and underprivileged youth programs. He also financed IVF treatment, helped people in debt and supported many needy people without seeking recognition. (Michael Putland/Getty Images)
“We will never know how much George Michael spent because it was a secret,” author Sathnam Sanghera told Fox News Digital.
“He died with an estimated net worth of 97 million pounds (more than $128 million), but I suspect most of that money is still being paid out by his estate. The estate issues annual statements about the donations it has made. So his good work continues.”
George Michael, left, and Paul McCartney, right, perform during the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London, on July 2, 2005. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
For Sanghera, Michael’s greatest achievement was compassion. Throughout his life, Michael often donated to charities supporting children with disabilities, cancer research, refugees and AIDS-related causes, to name just a few.
He began supporting charities in the 1980s while in Wham!, and his dedication continued throughout his life. As he quietly made large donations, Michael made sure they stayed out of the public eye.
“Today’s Music Seems Louder: The Meaning of George Michael” by Sathnam Sanghera is available now. (Pegasus Books)
“George Michael was a secretive person, and the secret is what made it great,” Sanghera explained. “We recently discovered some of his charitable acts. For example, he donated the first few years of the proceeds from ‘Last Christmas,’ one of the most successful pop songs of all time, to Band Aid, a UK charity aimed at fighting hunger and poverty.”
WATCH: GEORGE MICHAEL GIVES MILLIONS WITHOUT SEEKING CREDIT: AUTHOR
“He scored huge UK singles from his ‘Best Of’ album in the 1990s,” Sanghera said. “There are charities and a lot of people who have come forward and said, ‘He secretly paid for my IVF when he heard about my story on TV,’ for example.
George Michael presents gifts during the BRIT Awards held at the O2 Arena in London on Feb. 21, 2012. (Dave M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Michael didn’t just give money – he gave his time. At a homeless shelter in London, he served food, sat with visitors and listened to their stories. The book recounts how he would appear in jeans and a baseball cap, preferring anonymity to recognition. If someone commented that he looked like George Michael, he would laugh and insist that he gets that comparison all the time.
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! played in Japan in January 1985. (Michael Putland/Getty Images)
“Her ex-boyfriend, Kenny Goss, talked about how he was offered a job at every venue where George Michael played to identify charities and donate £20,000 to £30,000 to them,” Sanghera said.
“Usually, it was about children or nurses. And he would invite the workers and beneficiaries of that charity to come to the concert. This is how his compassion was always part of what he did every day.”
George Michael and his partner Kenny Goss are seen here in Tokyo. (Nathan Shanahan/WireImage)
In 1990, Michael founded the Platinum Trust, where, with the help of his sister Yoda, he supports people with disabilities. Michael donated awards from his 1991 duet with Elton John, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” to the Terrence Higgins Trust, a London-based HIV awareness organization, the Associated Press reported, as cited by NPR.
Fans lay flowers, photos and candles outside pop icon George Michael’s home in The Grove, Highgate, on Dec. 28, 2016, London. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
According to the source, the money from the 1996 “Jesus to a Child” went to Childline. The founder of the organization went on to say that Michael donated millions of dollars over the years and urged everyone in the charity to keep his actions a secret.
In 1999, when Michael worked for Net Aid to help refugees from Kosovo, he donated half a million pounds. Sanghera wrote that Michael was “angry” when the news broke.
British singer and songwriter George Michael of Wham! stays in a hotel room in Sydney during the pop duo’s 1985 world tour. (Michael Putland/Getty Images)
“There are many stories about his generosity,” Sanghera told Fox News Digital. “There was one story where his mother was sick with cancer in a local hospital in London. After she passed, he did a concert for all those nurses in the local community.”
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Princess Diana meets George Michael at the annual AIDS Day “Concert of Hope” at Wembley Arena in London on Dec. 1, 1993. (Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images)
While his career grew and his personal life often played out in public, Michael continued to support those in need.
“Together with Eric Clapton, they helped the family of Nigel Browne, a former security guard, to get compensation after he died in a helicopter crash,” Sanghera wrote.
Linda Evangelista and George Michael pose during the “Too Funky” video shoot in Paris, circa 1992. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
“He helped Martin Kemp, who he co-founded with Shirlie Holliman, receive life-saving treatment for a brain tumor. He played benefit gigs, raising money and awareness for hunger, World AIDS Day, refugees, debt relief and Project Angel Food, which provides food to vulnerable Los Angeles residents facing serious and life-threatening illnesses.
George Michael and Elton John attend a dinner on behalf of AIDS victims at the Moulin Rouge in Paris on Oct. 11, 1994. (Stephane Cardinale/Sygma)
“… At one point, his studio colleague Johnny Douglas said that Michael not only allowed him to take a terminally ill child to his home in the south of France, but also provided a helicopter to pick them up and drop them in the garden.
“He bought houses and cars for friends and relatives at strike prices, he gave jobs to others, and I don’t lose count of the number of people I meet who tell me that he paid for medical bills, funerals and houses in times of crisis,” wrote Sanghera. “On his death, his important art collection was sold, raising over £11 million for charity.”
George Michael performs on stage during his “Faith” tour at Earls Court Arena in London on June 15, 1988. (Pete Still/Redferns)
Sanghera told Fox News Digital that he was surprised by the amount of money Michael has donated over the years. During his research, he also lost count of the number of people who came forward with stories of how the singer helped them behind the scenes, away from the public. Many of those stories came after Michael’s death.
LIKE YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE FUN NEWS
George Michael died of natural causes due to heart disease and fatty liver, a British coroner announced in 2017. (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
“George Michael supported charities which was not a good look for a pop singer,” Sanghera said. “[Still]he spent millions of pounds. His legacy continues to support those charities in important ways.”
In 1993, The Independent reported that Michael did not like to discuss his charity work. But that year, he was ready to speak out, especially for a charity album he recorded for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an AIDS charity founded in honor of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
George Michael died on Dec. 25, 2016, at the age of 53. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
“Everyone is up—– listening to celebrities pat themselves on the back and say they are generous,” he told the newspaper at the time. “And they’re right. The reason I’m doing this interview is to support the Phoenix Trust. It’s very important that these songs are heard.”
George Michael walks the red carpet before the screening of “George Michael – A Different Story” at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 16, 2005. (Michael Kappeler/DDP/AFP)
Sanghera insisted that Michael was not a saint. But the evidence of his generosity is undeniable. And when it comes to the lives he’s touched, it’s easy to have faith.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Singer George Michael leaves The Ivy restaurant in Hollywood on Dec. 7, 2001. (Scott Alfieri/Getty Images)
He wrote a song called ‘Praying for Time,’ and there’s a song in that song where he complains about a charity that’s ‘a coat you wear twice a year,’ Sanghera said. “… Charity means more when it’s meant sincerely, when you do it without hoping you’ll get anything out of it. And that’s what George Michael did.”
