The late George Michael was a staple of ’80s rock and roll. From his time in Wham! to his solo career, fans still enjoy listening to his music today.
This week, some of the artist’s sold at auction, fetching quite a hefty price. But not everyone is thrilled about the sale. In fact, it’s causing quite a controversy in one family who knew George Michael personally.
George Michael Gifted the Items to His Personal Assistant
On October 29, several of the late George Michael’s personal items were sold at auction. He had given many of the items to his assistant, Siobhan Bailey, who was by his side for over 20 years.
After Bailey’s unexpected death in 2014, the items went to her then-husband, Ian Belcher. The BBC reports that Belcher sold the items. Bailey’s surviving family members are horrified by the action and insist that she would never have allowed the sale.
Belcher sold the George Michael memorabilia through Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers in Siobhan Bailey’s name. Among the items was the guitar from the legendary 1987 “Faith” video. This item alone sold for £180,000, or $240,845.
“[Siobhan] would be horrified at the prospect of the auction being held in her name and that her personal, cherished possessions are being sold off to the highest bidder,” Gerard Bailey, Siobhan’s brother, told the BBC.
Ian Belcher refused to make a statement to the outlet. However, Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers chairman Guy Schooling had nothing but pleasant things to say about Belcher.
“There are two ways of looking at this – it can be cashing in, or it can be a bit of a memorial and a tribute to Siobhan, and that’s the way we’ve looked at it,” Schooling told the BBC.
Siobhan Bailey Treasured the ‘Faith’ Guitar
The BBC notes that Siobhan Bailey started working for George Michael as his personal assistant in 1984. Over the next 20 years, the pair developed a close friendship. Bailey was never interested in fame for herself and did her best to protect Michael’s privacy as well.
“I think she was one of the few people George trusted and whose opinion he valued,” her brother Gerard Bailey told the outlet. “She was always honest and straight with him. I guess that’s why she stayed working for him for so long through the very, very good and not so good times.”
The singer ultimately gave Siobhan Bailey the “Faith” guitar because of their unique bond.
Gerard Bailey argues that the guitar would have gone to her nieces or nephews after her death, as she was in the middle of divorcing Ian Belcher at the time. But since the couple never finalized the divorce, Belcher inherited the guitar as her next of kin.
Bailey finds it reprehensible that Belcher sold the guitar under his late sister’s name. He told the BBC it was a “breach of [Siobhan’s] privacy,” “disingenuous,” and “wholly unethical.”
George Michael passed away two years after Siobhan Bailey on December 25, 2016 as a result of heart issues and fatty liver disease. He was 53.
Why a Guitar Belonging to the Late George Michael is at the Center of a Family Controversy