George Michael made an eye-watering £55,000 per day from beyond the grave in 2023.
The Wham! frontman famously died at the age of 53 on Christmas Day in 2016, but that hasn’t stopped the star from raking in the cash. According to a coroner’s investigation, the beloved songwriter – who would have turned 61 this week – died after suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.
It’s fair to say he is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with his sales approximated to be between 100 – 125million records worldwide. The singer’s company Nobby’s Hobbies Holding Limited Account reported a staggering £20million pre-tax profit on a £23.8million turnover.
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These figures have taken into account several lucrative projects over the past 12 months which came to an end in 2023. At first glance, the company pocketed £20.6million in publishing income, £2.5million in record royalties, and an additional £600,000 in sales.
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In 2022, Netflix created a hugely successful documentary about the band Wham! he started in and the film Freedom Uncut. In September of that year, he also reached number two in the music charts after his 1996 album Older was remastered and expanded.
This skyrocketed the record’s already huge sales figures as fans fought to grab a copy online. In December 2023, almost 40 years after the album was first released, George spent more than a month at number one when Wham!’s hit single Last Christmas finally topped the festive charts.
Fellow bandmate Andrew Ridgeley said at the time: “George would be beside himself [that] after all of these years, [we’ve] finally obtained Christmas number one. You [George] said that he wrote Last Christmas number one. It’s mission accomplished.
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“It was a huge disappointment to us both when it didn’t reach number one [in 1984] because, in our opinion, it was nailed-on… Thwarted for many years subsequent to that – the perennial bridesmaid – over recent years it seems it’s become part of the fabric of Christmas for a lot of people.”
The Faith singer appears to have doubled his 1980s rival Boy George, who is reported to have made less than half his total earnings last year. Speaking about their feud in 2017, Boy George, 62, said: “We had our squabbles, he was my rival, he was called George.
“He made soul music so everything he did it was like we were kind of battling all the time.” George was known for giving back to his community despite his overwhelming fame and fortune.
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In his will, he left behind more than £98million, which was largely shared out between his sisters. Capital FM host Roman Kemp paid tribute to his late godfather, George Michael, during an ITV event last year.
The One Show presenter’s parents Shirlie and Martin Kemp were introduced to each other by the late hitmaker. After the happy couple tied the knot and welcomed their two children, they decided to make George his youngest child’s godfather.
The 31-year-old presented the Together At Christmas event in the heart of Westminster Abbey in 2023. He was among some of the famous faces in attendance, including the Princess of Wales.
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Speaking about his godfather, Roman gushed: “George was a man of great kindness and compassion. He meant so much to those who knew him. Especially children, who tonight are at the very heart of this Christmas carol service.
“Even though he’s not here physically, he is certainly here with us in spirit. George was also my godfather and was there from the day I was born. He helped inspire not only myself but so many others.”
Earlier this year, George was honoured to be the face of a collectable coin from the Royal Mint. The coin features a headshot of the chart-topper wearing his iconic sunglasses and an engraving of the refrain from his 1987 hit, Faith.
(Image: Redferns via Getty Images)
George Michael Entertainment said it was “deeply honoured” by the touching tribute and said George would have been “enormously proud and genuinely touched that a national institution should have decided to pay tribute to his memory in this way.”
The coin’s designer, Sandra Deiana, explained that she wanted “a detailed portrait that captured his charismatic expression. I was particularly thinking of his iconic sunglasses.”
The Royal Mint’s Music Legends series also features artists such as David Bowie, Elton John, Queen, The Police and Dame Shirley Bassey. Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
