George Michael fans can visit his grave for the first time… if they can find it.
The cemetery where he is buried is finally welcoming visitors, but his plot will remain unmarked.
Previously, only those on guided tours could access the west section of Highgate Cemetery in north London.
Sight-seeing tours did not include the pop legend’s grave.
The Highgate Cemetery West was finally reopened yesterday for unaccompanied visitors who have booked their entry online.
Wham! star George was buried there following his death on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of just 53.
He was found at his home in Goring-on-Thames in South Oxford-shire. The singer’s death was attributed to natural causes.
George Michael died aged 53 on Christmas Day in 2016 (Image: Getty Images)
A spokesman for the cemetery said: “As an experiment we are offering visitors the chance to experience Highgate Cemetery West on their own without a guide.”
Today is the final day it will be open, but officials say more slots will be available later in the summer if the two-day trial is successful.
Fans may have a hard job finding the Faith singer’s grave as it does not have a headstone.
George Michael’s grave is next to his mother’s, but is unmarked (Image: ©Stan Kujawa)
And the cemetery will not include it in its guide or signpost the location at his family’s request.
A source at the cemetery previously commented: “The family has requested that nothing be placed on the grave – no stone, no cross – so that fans don’t know where to find it.
“They feel that if it was marked it would become a morbid tourist attraction for them. A lot of people feel he deserves better, but we have to respect the family’s wishes.”
George’s grave is unmarked at the request of his family (Image: Scarlet Howes)
George’s grave is next to that of his mum Lesley, which is marked by a white cross.
The singer’s sister Melanie Panayiotou, who died aged 59 three years to the day after her brother, is also understood to buried in the cemetery.
The public can pay their respects to a number of other well-known figures at the site, including actor Bob Hoskins, the bare-knuckle boxer Tom Sayers and the writer Dame Beryl Bainbridge.
Karl Marx, who wrote The Communist Manifesto, is buried in the East Cemetery.
It will be the first time since the 1970s that the west section of the site will have been opened to unaccompanied visitors.
Visitors are warned not to stray off the paths in the cemetery because of the risks from “unstable monuments, steep drops, concealed holes and bee and wasp nests”.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
