George Michael’s secret acts of charity have been revealed following his death.
The 53-year-old singer died from heart failure at his home in Oxfordshire, South East England, on Christmas Day (25.12.16) and following his death, fans have taken to Twitter to share stories of his philanthropy, that were kept secret during his lifetime.
‘Pointless’ presenter Richard Osman, who was previously an executive producer on ‘Deal or No Deal’, tweeted: "A woman on Deal Or No Deal told us she needed £15k for IVF treatment. George Michael secretly phoned the next day and gave her the £15k (sic)."
And it wasn’t long before Twitter users began to share their own stories of his generosity.
One person replied to Richard saying: "he gave a stranger in a cafe £25k as she was crying over debt. Told the waitress to give her the cheque after he left (sic)," while another added: "George Michael worked anonymously at a homeless shelter I was volunteering at. I’ve never told anyone, he asked we didn’t. That’s who he was."
Another wrote: "omg amazing! I remember he would phone help a London child every year and match all the donations," and one Twitter user said: "he would drive around London and feed homeless. Brilliant legend. Very sad (sic)."
George also gave free concert tickets to NHS nurses for years, in order to thank those who had looked after his dying mother.
One person wrote on Twitter: "George Michael used to give a bunch of free tickets to his shows to NHS nurses. He allocated a whole area of Wembley to nurses."
Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen said: "For years now he has been the most extraordinarily generous philanthropist, giving money to Childline, but he was determined not to make his generosity public so no-one outside the charity knew how much he gave to the nation’s most vulnerable children.
"Over the years he gave us millions and we were planning next year, as part of our 30th anniversary celebrations to create, we hoped, a big concert in tribute to him – to his artistry, to his wonderful musicality but also to thank him for the 100s of 1,000s of children he helped through supporting Childline."
Meanwhile, as tributes poured in for George from across the world, Showbiz expert and BANG Showbiz owner Rick Sky – who interviewed the late singer on several occasions throughout his career – shared his memories of the "loyal and generous" star.
He said: "It is so so sad. I find it hard to believe George has died. What a dreadful year for pop greats, Bowie, Prince and now George. Heartbreaking. George was not just an incredible songwriter with one of pop’s best voices but an incredibly loyal and generous friend to those he was closest to. He never forgot his friends especially those who had been with him in his early days. I always enjoyed being in his company and interviewing him and I was lucky enough to be part of Wham’s historic tour of China. He still had so much to offer. I know that at certain times his life seemed to be unraveling but I always believed his strength and determination would put him back on top. It just shows that death has no respect for talent, fame , riches and a generous nature."
George Michael’s secret acts of charity revealed
