Celebrity lawyer John Reid brought in to manage George Michael’s £100m estate
George Michael’s family have hired a celebrity lawyer to deal with his estate.
The late Wham! star was worth more than £100m, according to reports, with houses in London and Oxfordshire.
He was found dead by partner Fadi Fawaz at his country home in Goring, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day 2016.
It is now claimed top showbiz lawyer John Reid has become director of seven of the late singer’s multi-million pound music firms.
Reid, 44, is known to be a specialist in complex showbiz legal matters.
Official records lodged at Companies House show Reid, a partner at entertainment law firm Russels, was made a director of the firms as of May 3.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “John Reid is a serious big-hitter.
“The family want him in there to get everything sorted as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
The insider continued: “It’s not just about properties and getting the will enacted.
“The family want to make sure that George’s back catalogue and the rights to his music get the right legal protection.”
Reid is now a director of firms George Michael Songs, Nobby’s Hobbies Holdings, Robobuild, Faith Tour Overseas, Big Geoff Overseas, Aegean Net and Wham Music.
It comes after his boyfriend, Fadi Fawaz, was reportedly asked to leave the late star’s home.
43-year-old Fawaz, who has deleted his Twitter account after an online meltdown, has been living in the Regent’s Park home which he previously shared with his Wham! star boyfriend.
According to reports, relatives are now asking him to vacate the property so they can put the home up for sale.
“Fadi will be so sad as he loves the Regent’s Park house and it holds so many fond memories spent there with George”, a source told The Sun on Sunday.
“But although the news is devastating he won’t want to make any issue of it with George’s family if that’s what they decide to do.”
The family also intend to sell the singer’s other home in Goring, Oxfordshire, where he died on Christmas Day.
“They have decided to sell the Goring place as it holds too many sad memories.
“It is also obviously the place he was found dead so no one wants to take it on as a home”, a source told the paper.
Michael’s family and his boyfriend have allegedly been rowing ever since the December death.
Although Mr Fawaz was allowed to the funeral – after claims he would not be – he was not invited to the wake.
The singer’s cousin, Andros Georgiou, claimed the Michael family “hate him” and he “was not really his boyfriend”.
The exact details of the will are not yet known, but the singer’s other, older sister Yioda Panayiotou, 57, is also reported to be receiving a large chunk of his estimated £105million fortune.
A number of charities and causes that were close to the legendary performer’s heart are expected to be recognised in the will, too.
Since his death, dozens of people have opened up about the singer’s extraordinary generosity and anonymous philanthropy, donating millions to good causes without revealing his identity.