George Michael’s sister died after falling into a diabetic coma.
Melanie Panayiotou was tragically found dead on Christmas Day last year (25.12.19) – three years to the day her famous brother passed away – and the hairdresser’s cause of death has now been revealed.
Despite previous claims Melanie – whose body was discovered at her home in north west London, a house that had previously belonged to the ‘Careless Whisper’ hitmaker – had died of a broken heart, the Daily Mirror newspaper reports that a post-mortem examination carried out in March determined she had suffered diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication caused by lack of insulin and high blood sugar.
Police called to the house at the time by paramedics said her death was not being treated as suspicious and a report was compiled for the coroner.
It was previously claimed Melanie, who was 59 when she died, would be buried in Highgate Cemetery next to both the ‘Faith’ singer and their late mother.
The ‘Praying For Time’ hitmaker’s grave is currently unmarked, and though sources said Melanie will "definitely" get her own headstone, George’s will remain unmarked in order to stop fans from gathering at the site.
An insider previously said: "George still doesn’t have a gravestone three years after his death, and it’s going to stay that way.
"Now that they will also have to visit the family plot to mourn Melanie, they don’t want to be wading through fans and their tributes just to pay respect to the growing number of their tragic loved ones."
George’s family have paid for extra security at his grave, and the only reference to the presence of his burial site is a small heart plaque that has been laid beside his mother’s headstone.
It reads: "Dear cousin, Beautiful memories treasured forever of the happy times we spent together".