This Christmas marks the one-year anniversary of George Michael’s passing, and his family marked the occasion with an emotional post.
His loved ones posted a childhood photo of the late singer on his official website. It included a couple of paragraphs imploring fans to be open and honest during this time of year, and to say what they feel before it’s too late. In the statement, Michael’s family referred to him by the affectionate nickname “Yog.”
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This year has been a series of new and tough challenges for those of us close and loyal to Yog, not least of which was steeling ourselves this month, to hear “Last Christmas’” and “December Song” streaming out of shops, cars, and radios, as it has done for decades, knowing he’s no longer here with us, missing him. This Christmas will be hard without him, but we know that we are not alone in our mourning the anniversary of his loss, and that the sadness of our wider family, and true friends, is shared by many of you.
The statement continued, “Yog shared his music with all of us, and many of you connected deeply with his words, yet in life, many hold their own important words and feelings inside, as so often they are the hardest to say out loud.
“So if you can, in his memory this year, take a moment and a deep breath and say those ‘I Love You’s’ out loud. We all think there is time, don’t we? — but, just maybe, it’s later than you think…”
The tribute was accompanied by this photo of the iconic singer, who passed at the age of 53.
