The singer George Michael died from natural causes, a coroner has said.
The former singer with the pop duo Wham!, who was 53 and was found at his home in Goring, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day, had a heart condition. There will be no inquest.
In a statement, Darren Salter, senior coroner for Oxfordshire, said: “Inquiries into the death of George Michael have been concluded and the final postmortem report received.
“As there is a confirmed natural cause of death, being dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver, the investigation is being discontinued and there is no need for an inquest or any further inquiries. No further updates will be provided and the family requests the media and public respect their privacy.”
Michael’s former partner, Kenny Goss, had previously said he believed the pop star’s body “just gave up”. His manager, Michael Lippman, said at the time that the singer had died from heart failure in bed. His publicist said at the time, he had “passed away peacefully” at home.
An ambulance attended Michael’s house on 25 December at 1.42pm.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart’s ability to pump blood is decreased because the left ventricle is enlarged and weakened. In some cases it is inherited. It can also be caused by viral infections, uncontrolled high blood pressure, problems with the heart valves or excessive drinking or recreational drug use.
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. It can be caused by a viral or bacterial infections, and by certain medications, toxins and autoimmune disorders. Symptoms include pain or tightness in the chest, which can spread to other parts of the body.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is caused by a buildup of fat in the liver, is usually seen in people who are overweight or obese. A different disease, known as alcoholic fatty liver disease, is caused by excessive drinking.
Michael rose to fame as one half of Wham! in the 1980s. He went on to have a hugely successful solo career. Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, he had 11 UK No 1s in total and sold more than 100m albums during a career spanning almost four decades.
