George Michael’s ex Kenny Goss reveals late Fadi Fawaz delayed star’s funeral as he opens up about emotional farewell
KENNY Goss has given a unique insight into his soulmate George Michael’s funeral — revealing how he laid his hand on the coffin to say goodbye.
The Texan art dealer, 58, was among just 50 family and close friends invited to the ceremony held amid huge secrecy on March 29.
Mourners were able to walk up to the closed coffin and Kenny said: “I didn’t cry. I just thought, ‘That’s him in there.
“I pictured him being younger — aged 33 in an amazing suit with his Cartier watch on. I touched the coffin. It was reassuring to know he was resting in peace.”
Kenny said George’s on-off lover Fadi Fawaz arrived late for the service and did not attend the wake.
He added that George’s 80-year-old dad Kyriacos, known as Jack, did not speak to Fadi, nor was he mentioned in speeches by the star’s sister Melanie, 55.
And Kenny revealed ex-Spice Girl Geri Horner paid her respects in secret after agreeing with the family not to attend the funeral.
George’s death aged 53 on Christmas Day shocked the world.
Kenny dated the Wham! star from 1996 until 2011 and calls him the “love of my life”.
Fight for humanity
Kenny spoke out to raise the profile of the pair’s charitable Goss-Michael Foundation. He has not been paid for this interview, but The Sun on Sunday has made a donation to the foundation (g-mf.org).
The foundation was set up by the pair in 2007 and supports causes including hunger relief and HIV prevention.
It plans to raise awareness of mental health issues and back those with addiction problems. UK charities and projects will also be supported.
Its annual MTV RE:DEFINE event has raised more than £9.25million for HIV and Aids prevention.
Money also goes towards Project Angel Food, which feeds the sick, and Advocacy Right which backs domestic violence victims and funds shelters.
For more information and to donate .
He added: “Melanie organised the funeral beautifully. I was on the family side of the church. Fadi was on the opposite side.
“There was a beautiful wooden casket at the front. George’s dad Jack was too upset to speak but wrote some words explaining how proud he was of his son which were read by a minister.
“He said some beautiful things about how he didn’t believe George was going to be so successful.
“He talked about what a wonderful person George was.
“The funeral was very small, exactly what George would have wanted. He had not discussed the funeral ever, that would have been too morbid for him.
MOST READ IN CELEBRITY
“Melanie stood up and said some amazing things about myself and other guests. She talked about how in love George was with me and how excited he was to meet me.
“She mentioned almost everybody there including Andrew Ridgeley and Martin Kemp. I do not recall her mentioning Fadi.”
He had not discussed the funeral ever, that would have been too morbid for him
Kenny revealed there were no hymns, no pictures of George and none of the legend’s songs.
He added: “The whole thing was over in less than an hour. Everyone did well and kept their emotions in check. The Greek minister did the shaking of incense.
“Then we put in white roses, which were George’s favourite.”
The star was buried in a suit and shirt from his 2011-12 Symphonica tour and a Cartier watch.
He was laid to rest at Highgate cemetery, North London, next to his mum Lesley who died in 1997.
Kenny dismissed a story claiming that he and Fadi embraced and comforted each other at the service.
I have no idea why Fadi would choose to be late for the funeral
He said: “We did not hug. I did not speak to him and we did not meet up afterwards. He did not come to the wake.
“I have no idea why Fadi would choose to be late for the funeral.
“The rest of us were there 15-20 minutes early at least.
“The people on his row greeted him but I didn’t see him talking to others. I have empathy for Fadi, and I don’t want to judge him. I know that George did not like people to be treated poorly and Melanie was very respectful to Fadi.
“Jack didn’t speak to him though, not that I remember.”
Kenny also told how Geri, 44, travelled to the church in secret.
He said: “She went for a personal goodbye, or it would have been a mess. I think she went to the church before everyone arrived.
“They didn’t want famous people there to cause a mess. Elton John and Kate Moss weren’t invited.
“Geri was very close to George and was very upset.”
After the service, Kenny attended the wake at the nearby mansion he once shared with George, taking a bunch of symbolic forget-me-nots.
Kenny said: “Melanie prepared a lovely tea and I spent most of the time with Jack, comforting him. I felt sorry for him, I am very close to him.
“When a Greek dad loses his son, you know how they think in that culture. I kept telling Jack, ‘You have these two beautiful girls’. All he said was, ‘But he was my boy’. He was in bits.
“He was always very welcoming to me. We got on well.”
George was found dead in bed at his mansion in Goring, Oxfordshire, by celebrity hairdresser Fadi.
Kenny was told the news in a call from George’s manager Michael Lippman on Christmas Day.
He had missed earlier calls from Melanie. Kenny said: “I picked up the phone and said ‘Merry Christmas, Michael’. He said, ‘Have you not heard? George is dead. I said, ‘Wow’ and was in shock. I turned on the TV and it was on CNN within 15 minutes. It was upsetting and surreal.
“I did not cry at first. But later I cried a lot privately, and when I went to see George’s family in February.”
The funeral was delayed for 94 days when a coroner ordered extra toxicology reports after initial tests proved inconclusive.
An inquest revealed George died from natural causes, but had suffered heart problems and a fatty liver.
Fadi, 40, originally said he had found George in bed first thing on Christmas morning.
He later said he had slept in his car outside on Christmas Eve. Tweets posted on Fadi’s account then claimed the singer was suicidal, with one saying: “The only thing George wanted is to die.”
A 999 call he made at 1.30pm on Christmas Day then appeared to reveal he waited “for hours” for George to wake — and then spent another hour trying to revive him.
Kenny, speaking at his LA apartment, said: “Why would you sleep in your car when you’ve got a £5million mansion you could go into? It doesn’t make sense.”
And he told of his shock that Fadi waited for hours before trying to wake him on Christmas Day and did not call an ambulance sooner despite finding George “blue and stiff”.
Kenny said: “You would think that would be a signal to call.
“I don’t know Fadi and don’t like to judge people. The only thing I would say is that I certainly would not have said some of the things he said on his Twitter. That was unnecessary.
“George’s fans didn’t need to hear that. Didn’t Fadi tell the press to f*** off? He handled it the wrong way.” Kenny said George always struggled on Christmas Eve, which was his mother’s birthday.
He added: “I wished somebody had tried to get him up - I would have been like, ‘Get the f*** up. I would have done things exactly the opposite to Fadi.
“In his defence, English is his second language so maybe the call didn’t come across well.”
Referring to the inquest verdict, Kenny added: “We are all glad it is natural causes. We are all glad it’s over.”
Kenny said he did not know how the star’s £105million estate would be divided up, adding: “The will is a matter for the family, but I would be happy if the charity was a beneficiary. I’m now happy that George is at rest with his mum.”
Fight for humanity
Kenny spoke out to raise the profile of the pair’s charitable Goss-Michael Foundation. He has not been paid for this interview, but The Sun on Sunday has made a donation to the foundation (g-mf.org).
The foundation was set up by the pair in 2007 and supports causes including hunger relief and HIV prevention.
It plans to raise awareness of mental health issues and back those with addiction problems. UK charities and projects will also be supported.
Its annual MTV RE:DEFINE event has raised more than £9.25million for HIV and Aids prevention.
Money also goes towards Project Angel Food, which feeds the sick, and Advocacy Right which backs domestic violence victims and funds shelters.
For more information and to donate .