George Michael memorabilia auction sparks family row over singer’s famous Faith guitar
A dispute has emerged over the sale of memorabilia belonging to George Michael’s former personal assistant, including the guitar featured in the iconic music video for his hit single Faith.
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dispute → spark → single
The items are due to go under the hammer at auction house Sworders on Thursday, October 29, with the collection being sold by Ian Belcher, the estranged husband of Michael’s long-time aide Siobhan Bailey, according to the BBC.
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collection → go → BBC
Bailey died in 2014, aged 56, and was still legally married to Belcher at the time.
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Bailey → die → time
She had not left a will, meaning her estate passed to her husband.
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estate → leave → husband
However, her brother Gerard Bailey has criticised the planned sale, claiming his sister would have opposed the auction and wanted her treasured possessions to remain within the family.
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possessions → criticise → family
Speaking to the BBC, he said she “would be horrified at the prospect of the auction being held in her name and that her personal, cherished possessions are being sold off to the highest bidder”.
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possessions → speak → bidder
Sworders and Belcher both declined to comment, the broadcaster reported.
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broadcaster → decline → ?
The auction house describes the 32 lots as a collection of memorabilia belonging to Bailey, who worked closely with Michael for two decades.
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who → describe → decades
Gerard Bailey said his sister had been preparing to write a will shortly before her death, which he claimed would have left the memorabilia to her nieces and nephews.
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he → say → nieces
However, the document was never registered.
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document → register → ?
Although he acknowledged that Belcher had a legal right to sell the possessions he inherited, Bailey questioned the decision to market the collection under his sister’s name.
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Bailey → acknowledge → name
In correspondence with Sworders seen by the BBC, he reportedly described the proposed sale as a breach of his sister’s privacy and criticised the use of her name in its promotion.
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he → see → promotion
He has called for the auction to be cancelled or for the collection to be sold under Belcher’s name instead.
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collection → call → name
Bailey also told the broadcaster that he believed his sister would have wanted the items to stay with her relatives, adding that the sale had left him heartbroken.
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sale → tell → him
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There is no suggestion that Belcher is acting unlawfully by selling the collection.
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Belcher → read → collection
Among the most notable items is the Gretsch acoustic guitar Michael played in the video for Faith, the 1987 single that helped establish his solo career following his success with Wham!.
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that → play → Wham
The instrument is expected to fetch between £60,000 and £120,000, according to the auction details reported by the BBC.
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instrument → expect → BBC
In the video, Michael famously performed with the guitar while wearing a white T-shirt, ripped jeans and a black leather jacket.
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Michael → perform → shirt
The image became one of the defining visuals of his transition from chart-topping pop star to solo artist.
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image → become → artist
The collection also includes more personal mementoes from their working relationship, including a Filofax containing Bailey’s handwritten notes from Michael’s 1988 Faith tour.
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collection → include → tour
The organiser’s guide price for the diary was reportedly up to £600, although bidding had already reached £1,750 at the time of the BBC’s report.
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bidding → reach → report
Other lots include signed photographs of Michael and Wham!, a message from Michael and bandmate Andrew Ridgeley, an invitation to Ridgeley’s 21st birthday party, and gold and platinum awards recognising sales of Michael’s music.
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lots → include → music
Bailey said his sister had been proud of the personalised awards but was modest about her close association with the singer.
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sister → say → singer
He also claimed she would never have agreed to the sale of the collection, particularly the more intimate items documenting her time working with Michael.
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she → claim → Michael
The auction is scheduled to take place on Thursday, with the family dispute casting a shadow over the sale of items linked to one of British pop music’s most recognisable stars.
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dispute → schedule → stars
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