George Michael's family formally received a go signal to proceed with their plans to honor the late pop singer in the most notable way.
Following Michael's death on Christmas Day in 2016, his family and his estate planned to create a bronze statue to honor his life and legacy. The proposal was presented when they marked the fifth anniversary of his death but was put on hold due to the resistance from thousands of residents in the area.
George Michael's Statue To Be Erected Years After His Death
The Sun confirmed that sculptor Laura Lian met George's best friend, Andros Georgiou, at the memorial site Saturday to talk about the plans regarding the statue.
The councilors of the Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire's local council previously said that 3,200 residents - including retired individuals - showed resistance over the plans. Parish councilor Catherine Hall also said she was reluctant to agree when the application for the memorial was submitted due to the risk of "stirring up a hornets' nest."
After a long wait, the plan has been approved by the local council and would be processed in the next coming months.
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"Everyone is thrilled to finally have the go ahead," a source told The Sun. "Work starts soon. Laura was introduced to George's estate by a friend and they loved her previous work, including figures of David Bowie and John Lennon."
The unnamed insider also expressed people's excitement to see the unveiling of the statue in Goring, where the late singer lived for 17 years.
Before the approval, Michael's WHAM! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley announced his support of the memorial project during his interview with Good Morning America.
George Michael's Cause of Death
The memorial will soon honor Michael, who tragically died on Christmas Day in 2016 while in Goring, Oxfordshire.
BBC cited the statement from his manager, Michael Lippman, who said that George Michael's cause of death was heart failure. The then-53-year-old crooner was found dead at his home, and the initial autopsy showed "inconclusive results" regarding his cause of death.
Meanwhile, Thames Valley police released a statement confirming that his death was unexplained but not suspicious, determining his passing as something due to natural causes.
The coroner assigned to the investigation offered a comment resonating with what Michael's manager said, saying that he had been suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver before his passing.
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