George Michael’s ‘cousin’ is urging the late singer’s family to build a memorial to the star, insisting: “He has been forgotten.”
George, who died on Christmas Day three years ago, is buried beside his beloved mum Lesley in an unmarked grave with only a small headstone that still carries no inscription.
Andros Georgiou, 57, says that needs to change so relatives can grieve properly for the singer, and a public memorial should be created for fans.
He said: “I believe the family are planning to have a simple cross on George’s grave with nothing on it.
“There should be an inscription on there. It should be his nickname, Yog, and something like, ‘The man and his music’. That’s how we all knew him.
“That needs to happen for the friends and family, and the estate need to make that happen. The sooner the better really – it’s already been three years.”
The grave is in a private section of Highgate cemetery, North London, away from tours that take visitors to see other famous resting places, including those of Karl Marx and Hitchhiker’s Guide author Douglas Adams.
Andros, a friend of George who grew so close to him that they called each other cousins, says the singer would not have wanted fans at his graveside.
He said: “He was private in life and that’s how it should be in death.
“But a beautiful tree, with a fence around it with flowers inside would be perfect. He loved walking, taking his dog out and he always loved flowers. An orchid was his favourite.
“One of his former houses had a tree growing through it. It would be amazing to replicate that.
“Even to plant a few trees in an area where fans could hang out and pay their respects would work well.”
A shrine that sprang up opposite George’s Highgate mansion was removed 18 months after his death, when its hundreds of visitors a week began to disturb neighbours.
And a bid to put up a statue in the Oxfordshire village of Goring-on-Thames, near the home where he died, was rejected by local councillors.
George’s dad Kyriacos and sisters Melanie and Yioda plan to leave the plot unmarked so they can mourn privately.
Andros, who fell out with George 19 years ago, visited his pal’s grave in 2017 and will return in the coming days.
He said: “I went to say my piece, and chat with him. It didn’t really help, but it’s something.
"I’m going again soon. We had a big bust-up over something stupid, I can’t even remember.
"But we’d arranged to meet on January 4, 2017. He died without us being able to discuss what happened.
“It was crushing I didn’t have a chance to speak to him. Me coming back in his life was to be part of a turning point.
“I was the one that stood up to him and told him ‘no’. Too many people would just say ‘yes George’… they were worried they’d get fired or not get their Christmas hamper, not go to the parties or whatever.
“When he was going downhill they should have called me. I would have been his wake-up call.”
Andros says Christmases with George were always full of hellraising.
He said: “Christmas Day was all family, but Christmas Eve we’d go crazy. We’d go carol singing, 10 of us in disguise in wigs and stuff.
"People would tell us to get lost – I’d pull George’s wig off and say, ‘Unlucky’. Then we’d leave. We always had a hangover on Christmas Day.”
George was godfather to Andros’s children and he features in the video for Wham! hit Last Christmas.
He added: “My parents were like his second mum and dad, he basically lived at my house growing up. He loved to come and play music. It’s incredibly painful this time of year.
"I can’t listen to one of his songs without getting choked up.”
