British pop star George Michael died of natural causes, a senior coroner has confirmed.
The Careless Whisper singer was found dead at his home in Oxfordshire, England on Christmas Day (25Dec16) by his boyfriend Fadi Fawaz. He was 53 years old.
Oxfordshire’s senior coroner Darren Salter, revealed that Michael’s death was caused by heart disease, specifically dilated cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, as well as fatty liver.
“Inquiries into the death of George Michael have been concluded and the final post-mortem report received,” Salter said in a statement to the BBC. “As there is a confirmed natural cause of death, being dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver, the investigation is being discontinued and there is no need for an inquest or any further enquiries.”
Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart that causes the muscle to become stretched and thin rendering it unable to pump blood around the body efficiently, while myocarditis refers to inflammation of the heart muscle.
Thames Valley Police officers originally stated the former Wham! star’s death was unexplained but not suspicious, with an initial post-mortem examination proving “inconclusive”. The coroner’s verdict was reportedly delayed for several weeks pending the results of toxicology tests.
Michael’s death at such a young age, as well as his past troubles with substance abuse sparked speculation over his cause of death.
Fawaz, 43, was questioned by police officers for five hours and was forced to deny media reports that he was under suspicion over the singer’s death.
After news of Salter’s verdict broke, he took to Twitter to denounce those who had linked him to his lover’s death.
“F**K YOU,” he wrote, before captioning a picture of him and George with the words, “The Truth is out…”
Elaborating he added, “All the nasty comments, press and 999 (Britain’s emergency services number) were very cruel and unnecessary whatsoever, Now I hope to receive some real LOVE x.”
Last month (Feb17) Michael’s Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley admitted that the investigation into his friend’s death had troubled him due to it delaying any funeral service.
“We’ve not had closure,” he told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper “It’s difficult for me. It’s difficult for everyone.”
A funeral date is yet to be announced.