George Michael’s sister dies on Christmas Day, exactly three years after singer

Bianca Britton
By Bianca Britton and Sharon Braithwaite, CNN
Updated 12:36 PM EST, Fri December 27, 2019
Stories worth watching
George Michael, studio portrait, London, 1987. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
George Michael, studio portrait, London, 1987. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Now playing
01:03
'How it Really Happened': George Michael's Final Days
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Now playing
01:28
Oprah Winfrey gets 'a little emotional' saying goodbye to 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'
CBS
Now playing
01:45
Tom Cruise terrifies James Corden with wild plane ride
walmart
Now playing
00:33
Walmart pulls 'tone-deaf' Juneteenth products after criticism
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 18: Taylor Swift Delivers New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 18: Taylor Swift Delivers New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Now playing
02:04
Hear Taylor Swift's message to these 2022 grads
Meet Google's newest Street View camera
Meet Google's newest Street View camera
Gabe Ramirez, CNN
Now playing
02:59
See Google Street View's new camera and the garage where the tech is built
Getty Images
Now playing
01:22
'American Idol' winner says he wants to 'stay in the house for a bit'
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 31: A home stands for sale in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a limited supply of single family homes on March 31, 2021 in New York City. As Americans increasingly look for larger spaces now that many are working and educating their children from home, prices of homes have risen an estimated 16% as supply can't meet demand. The number of homes for sale stands at a record low, with only a two-month supply at the current pace of sales.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 31: A home stands for sale in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a limited supply of single family homes on March 31, 2021 in New York City. As Americans increasingly look for larger spaces now that many are working and educating their children from home, prices of homes have risen an estimated 16% as supply can't meet demand. The number of homes for sale stands at a record low, with only a two-month supply at the current pace of sales.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Now playing
02:32
Typical monthly payment for US home up 42% in a year
Oil Tank Media Boat
Now playing
02:46
How soaring diesel prices may impact consumers
Fox News
Now playing
02:15
Watch Fox host react to Buffalo shooting
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., departs from court for the SolarCity trial in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., on Monday, July 12, 2021. Musk was cool but combative as he testified in a Delaware courtroom that Tesla Inc.'s more than $2 billion acquisition of SolarCity in 2016 wasn't a bailout of the struggling solar provider. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., departs from court for the SolarCity trial in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., on Monday, July 12, 2021. Musk was cool but combative as he testified in a Delaware courtroom that Tesla Inc.'s more than $2 billion acquisition of SolarCity in 2016 wasn't a bailout of the struggling solar provider. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Now playing
04:14
Here's what Elon Musk may be aiming for as he puts Twitter deal on hold
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 aircraft lands at Barcelona's 'El Prat' airport on September 28, 2018. - Ryanair cancelled scores of European flights today as unions staged what they warned could be the biggest strike in the airline's history. The Dublin-based low-cost carrier has played down fears of widespread disruption but confirmed it would cancel nearly 250 flights. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP) (Photo credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images)
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 aircraft lands at Barcelona's 'El Prat' airport on September 28, 2018. - Ryanair cancelled scores of European flights today as unions staged what they warned could be the biggest strike in the airline's history. The Dublin-based low-cost carrier has played down fears of widespread disruption but confirmed it would cancel nearly 250 flights. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP) (Photo credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images)
PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images
Now playing
01:42
Ryanair CEO blasts Boeing in expletive-laden remarks about slow delivery of 737 jets
Now playing
03:18
Renault and McDonald's are leaving Russia. Here's why it's significant
Markus Tatzgern
Now playing
02:16
This mask makes breathing in virtual reality more realistic
Guinness World Records
Now playing
02:08
Meet the 100-year-old man who's worked at the same company for 84 years
Courtesy 20th Century Studios
Now playing
01:01
Watch: New 'Avatar: Way of Water' trailer just dropped
London CNN  — 

George Michael’s sister Melanie Panayiotou was found dead on Christmas Day, exactly three years after the British pop star died, the family’s lawyer has confirmed to CNN.

“We can confirm that very tragically Melanie has passed away suddenly,” the family’s lawyer, John Reid, said in a statement on Friday.”We would simply ask that the family’s privacy be respected at this very sad time.”

London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement to CNN that emergency services were called to a home in north London on Wednesday evening due to “reports of the sudden death of a woman, aged in her 50s.”

George Michael with his sister, Melanie Panayiotou during the 1980s.
George Michael with his sister, Melanie Panayiotou during the 1980s.
MediaPunch Inc/Alamy

“The death is not being treated as suspicious by police,” the statement said, adding that the coroner will compile a report into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Panayiotou’s death came three years after Michael, 53, died suddenly in 2016 on Christmas Day. He left behind a catalogue of hits, including “Careless Whisper” and “Faith,” and the Wham! tracks”Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Last Christmas.”

An inquest attributed Michael’s death to “natural causes.”

AFP/Getty Images

George Michael's first posthumous song debuts

The singer-songwriter, who shot to fame in the 1980s as one half of pop band Wham!, amassed a noteworthy and valuable collection during his lifetime.

Just 48 hours before her death, Panayiotou had issued a joint statement on Michael’s website.

“We will be swerving the bad and enjoying the good as much as we can this coming year,” the statement said, while also touching on the “power” of Michael’s songs.

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.

“We know how much his lyrics can offer support when things are tough and help celebrate when times are good and life is going well… and that is just as powerful now as if he were still with us and as many of you say in your messages, it’s a gift,” it said.

“It seems important that his generosity of spirit and natural empathy have touched you in a way that would have him embarrassed, all your kind words are really good to hear and we know you have always known his true heart.”