Mystery of George Michael's Death Is Brought to a Close

Coroner says it was natural causes, brought on by heart disease and a fatty liver
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 7, 2017 9:07 AM CST
Mystery of George Michael's Death Is Brought to a Close
George Michael, as seen in 2012.   (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

What was once deemed "inconclusive" has now arrived at a conclusion, though that conclusion may be cold comfort to fans, friends, and family. Early autopsy results on George Michael couldn't peg what caused his Christmas Day death, but on Tuesday, a UK coroner announced the 53-year-old singer had died of natural causes, spurred by a fatty liver and "dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis" (a clinical way of saying heart disease), CBS News reports. Michael's partner, Fadi Fawaz, had put up a bunch of tweets insinuating suicide right after his boyfriend's death; Fawaz later said he'd been hacked and took down the posts. A rep for Michael had mentioned heart failure was the cause after the initial autopsy.

Per the American Heart Association, dilated cardiomyopathy is caused by an enlarged heart chamber that eventually affects heart contractions and keeps blood from being efficiently pumped out; myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. A fatty liver could have any of a variety of causes, including drinking too much, a bout with hepatitis C, being overweight, or taking certain medication. "I think his body just gave up," Michael's former partner, Kenny Goss, told the Sunday Mirror over the weekend. Goss adds that now the family can move on with making final arrangements, saying, "We just want closure, we want the funeral to happen." Fawaz, meanwhile, posted a few tweets Tuesday in apparent response to the news, noting, "The Truth is out..." and "Now I hope to receive some real LOVE." (More George Michael stories.)

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