George Michael’s partner Fadi Fawaz says the pop star died alone

Angela Dewan
By Angela Dewan, CNN
Updated 7:38 AM EST, Wed December 28, 2016
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The partner of late British pop musician George Michael has told of how he found the star dead in bed on Christmas Day.

Fadi Fawaz, 43, said on Twitter that he would never forget “finding your partner dead peacefully in bed first thing in the morning.”

“I will never stop missing you,” he added.

Fawaz, a hair stylist, told Britain’s Daily Telegraph in an interview that he was not there when Michael passed away.

“We were supposed to be going for Christmas lunch. I went round there to wake him up and he was just gone, lying peacefully in bed. We don’t know what happened yet,” Fawaz said.

“Everything had been very complicated recently, but George was looking forward to Christmas, and so was I. Now everything is ruined. I want people to remember him the way he was – he was a beautiful person.”

Michael died at the age of 53 on Sunday of heart failure, his manager Michael Lippman said.

George Michael (right) and Fadi Fawaz outside their London home in 2012.
JJ/ROCHAS/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images
George Michael (right) and Fadi Fawaz outside their London home in 2012.

The musician first shot to fame with the 1980s duo Wham! with hits such as “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” before moving onto a solo career, with songs such as “Faith” and “Freedom.” In his decades-long career, he won two Grammy awards.

In 1998, after being arrested for a “lewd act” in a public restroom, Michael told CNN in an exclusive interview that he was gay. He turned the moment to his advantage and, through his work, became one of the entertainment industry’s most prominent gay voices.

British pop star <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/25/entertainment/george-michael-death/index.html" target="_blank">George Michael died on Sunday, December 25, 2016</a>. The musician, who shot to fame with the 1980s duo Wham!, was 53 years old.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Michael Putland/Getty Images
British pop star George Michael died on Sunday, December 25, 2016. The musician, who shot to fame with the 1980s duo Wham!, was 53 years old.
Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael of Wham! perform on stage in 1985. The duo met at Bushey Meads School, in 1976, according to Michael's website.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Michael Putland/Getty Images
Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael of Wham! perform on stage in 1985. The duo met at Bushey Meads School, in 1976, according to Michael's website.
George Michael of Wham! performs at the Live Aid concert in London in 1985.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: PA/PA Wire/PA Wire/AP
George Michael of Wham! performs at the Live Aid concert in London in 1985.
Michael and Ridgeley pose for a photo at the Great Wall of China in 1985, during Wham!'s historic visit as the first-ever Western pop band to perform in the communist country.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket/Getty Images
Michael and Ridgeley pose for a photo at the Great Wall of China in 1985, during Wham!'s historic visit as the first-ever Western pop band to perform in the communist country.
Michael blow-dries his hair while on Wham!'s 1985 world tour. The band made stops in the UK, Japan, Australia, and China.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Michael Putland/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Michael blow-dries his hair while on Wham!'s 1985 world tour. The band made stops in the UK, Japan, Australia, and China.
Michael accepts Wham!'s award for favorite pop/rock band group at the American Music Awards in January 1986.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
Michael accepts Wham!'s award for favorite pop/rock band group at the American Music Awards in January 1986.
Wham! performs its final show in front of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium on June 28, 1986. Michael later went on to have a successful solo career.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Michael Putland/Getty Images
Wham! performs its final show in front of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium on June 28, 1986. Michael later went on to have a successful solo career.
Michael performs during his "Faith World Tour," his first as a solo artist, in 1988.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Michael Putland/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Michael performs during his "Faith World Tour," his first as a solo artist, in 1988.
Michael at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Michael at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.
George Michael, left, and Paul McCartney perform together at the "Live 8 London" concert on July 2, 2005 in London.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Live 8/Getty Images
George Michael, left, and Paul McCartney perform together at the "Live 8 London" concert on July 2, 2005 in London.
George Michael, left, with his partner Kenny Goss at a reception after the Japan premiere of his autobiographical movie "George Michael: A Different Story," in December 2005. In 1998, Michael told CNN in an exclusive interview that he was gay.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
George Michael, left, with his partner Kenny Goss at a reception after the Japan premiere of his autobiographical movie "George Michael: A Different Story," in December 2005. In 1998, Michael told CNN in an exclusive interview that he was gay.
Singer George Michael, center, is surrounded by press and police on August 24, 2010 in London, after leaving a courthouse. Michael pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and possessing cannabis after he crashed his car into a photo processing shop in London the month before.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Singer George Michael, center, is surrounded by press and police on August 24, 2010 in London, after leaving a courthouse. Michael pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and possessing cannabis after he crashed his car into a photo processing shop in London the month before.
Michael gives a press conference announcing details for a new tour on May 11, 2011, at The Royal Opera House in London.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Caroline True/Getty Images
Michael gives a press conference announcing details for a new tour on May 11, 2011, at The Royal Opera House in London.
Michael performs at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Rowan Griffiths/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
Michael performs at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Michael performs at a concert to raise money for AIDS charity Sidaction in Paris on September 9, 2012. He was considered by many a champion of the gay-rights movement.
Photos: George Michael
PHOTO: Francois Mori/AP
Michael performs at a concert to raise money for AIDS charity Sidaction in Paris on September 9, 2012. He was considered by many a champion of the gay-rights movement.

Michael’s former partner of 13 years, Kenny Goss, said he was “heartbroken”.

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2012 file photo, British singer George Michael performs at a concert to raise money for AIDS charity Sidaction, during the Symphonica tour at Palais Garnier Opera house in Paris, France. Michael is cancelling Australian shows in November and early December so he can get treatment for major anxiety he's suffered since a serious health scare last year. The 49-year-old singer said on his website he had hoped making music and performing would be enough to work through it but that he underestimated how hard his recovery would be. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
Francois Mori/AP
FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2012 file photo, British singer George Michael performs at a concert to raise money for AIDS charity Sidaction, during the Symphonica tour at Palais Garnier Opera house in Paris, France. Michael is cancelling Australian shows in November and early December so he can get treatment for major anxiety he's suffered since a serious health scare last year. The 49-year-old singer said on his website he had hoped making music and performing would be enough to work through it but that he underestimated how hard his recovery would be. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

Much more than a teen idol -- George Michael the musician

“He was a major part of my life and I loved him very, very much. He was an extremely kind and generous man,” the statement said, according to the UK’s Press Association.

“The beautiful memories and music he brought to the world will always be an important part of my life and those who also loved and admired him.”

The late British pop star George Michael (left) with his then-partner Kenny Goss in 2005.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
The late British pop star George Michael (left) with his then-partner Kenny Goss in 2005.

Goss is a businessman and art dealer who started the Goss-Michael Foundation in 2007 in Texas with the pop star to showcase contemporary British art in the United States.