Grieving fans on Monday mourned the death of George Michael as British charities revealed that the pop star had secretly been a major behind-the-scenes donor who gave his time and money to support cherished causes.
The man with the reputation for self-indulgence had actually given millions of pounds (dollars) to charities involved with helping children, cancer victims and AIDS sufferers, AP reported. He was also remembered for small acts of kindness: helping his village in north London get a Christmas tree, and volunteering at a homeless shelter.
He donated all of the royalties from Wham!’s single “Last Christmas/Everything She Wants” to famine relief in Ethiopia after the single was released in 1984. At the time, Ethiopia was hard-hit by communist red terror and man-made famine under the brutal regime of communist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam between 1983 and 1985. More than 400,000 people died.
The singer’s death was announced late Sunday. Many paid tribute on Facebook and Twitter and others cited years of good works that received little publicity—largely because Michael insisted on keeping his charity work out of the limelight. Fans placed flowers and other tributes at his homes in north London and in Goring, England, where he died of apparent heart failure.
Among the groups he supported were the Terrence Higgins Trust, which helps people with AIDS, Macmillan Cancer Support, and Childline, which offers confidential phone counseling for young people.
