George Michael’s Sister, Melanie Panayiotou, Dies On Third Anniversary Of His Death

Singer George Michael‘s sister has died, three years to the day on the anniversary of his death. Melanie Panayiotou, a 55-year old hairdresser, was found by her older sister Yioda on Christmas Day in the evening.

London Metropolitan police said Melanie’s death was “sudden” and it is not being treated as suspicious.

The family’s lawyer confirmed her death and released a statement saying, “We can confirm that very tragically, Melanie has passed away suddenly. We would simply ask that the family’s privacy be respected at this very sad time.”

Melanie had a close relationship with her brother and would travel with him to cut his hair when on the road. Upon his death, he left her £50 million ($55.8 million) and a large part of his estate.

Michael rose to fame in the 1980’s with his duo-group Wham! and later embarked on a solo career, selling more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.

Michael passed away in 2016 in his Oxfordshire on Christmas Day of natural causes.