George Michael auction sparks family row over 'Faith' guitar going under the hammer - The Independent

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George Michael’s guitar from the “Faith” music video has sparked a family row ahead of a memorabilia auction taking place this Thursday.

The original 1940s Gretsch Synchromatic 160 instrument, seen in the 1987 release, will be the highlight of the “Faith & Fame: A Personal George Michael Collection” auction on 29 October held by Sworders auctioneers.

The auction house describes the 32 lots as a “remarkable group of memorabilia from the collection of Siobhan Bailey, George Michael's long-time personal assistant and trusted confidante”.

Michael’s former personal assistant, Siobhan Bailey, assembled the collection featuring the guitar over her 20 years working with him.

Bailey died in 2014 and her personal archive is being offered for auction by her widower, Ian Belcher.

However, Siobhan's brother, Gerard Bailey, believes his sister would be “devastated” about the auction taking place. “[Siobhan] would be horrified at the prospect of the auction being held in her name and that her personal, cherished possessions are being sold off to the highest bidder,” he told BBC News.

Bailey claims his sister was in the process of divorcing Belcher before she died and had started to draw up a will which would have seen the musician’s items left to her nieces and nephews. However, she died before it was registered in time. Bailey’s estate legally passed to Belcher following her death and there is no suggestion that he doesn’t have the rights to sell the items.

According to the BBC, Bailey has requested that the auction doesn’t go ahead and that Belcher's "misuse of my sister's name" is "frankly dishonourable". Bailey recognises that Belcher has a legal right to sell the items but said that the auction being held in his sister's name is “disingenous”.

"I know she was proud of the various personalised gold and platinum discs she got, though she was very modest about it all,” Bailey added.

Sworders has been contacted for comment.

The guitar, which Bailey says was a gifted to his sister by Michael, was a key item in the launch of the musician’s solo career. In the video, Michael can be seen wearing a black leather jacket and blue jeans while playing the guitar next to a jukebox.

“Faith”, from Michael’s debut solo album of the same title, spent four weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, whilst reaching number two in the UK.

Other items include ring-bound tour itineraries from Michael’s solo career and his time in the band Wham!

Memorabilia from some of his most celebrated live performances, including a four-page running order from Live Aid in 1985 which features his duet with Elton John, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” are also on offer.

For fans of his recordings, there are numerous presentation discs and gold records celebrating milestone sales, including a gold disc for 500,000 UK sales of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (estimate £200-£500).

There is also an award for more than a million UK sales of Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (estimate £200-£500) and more than 1.8 million UK sales of Older (estimate £200-£500).

There are rare cassettes and acetate singles, some marked Not For Sale, and a number of signed photographs, all personally inscribed to Bailey, which offer a glimpse into Michael’s professional and personal life.

The archive as a whole is expected to achieve more than £200,000 at auction.

Michael, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, had 13 number one singles in the UK.

He came out as gay in 1998 and became an activist for LGBT rights and an HIV/Aids charity fundraiser.

Michael died of heart disease on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53.