Pop singer George Michael has died, aged 53.
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According to a statement released by his publicist, the singer - born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou - died peacefully at home on Christmas Day.
"It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother, and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period," a statement said.
"The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time. There will be no further comment at this stage."
Michael shot to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of pop band Wham! before launching a hugely successful solo career.
It is understood he passed away in his sleep at his home on Sunday.
BBC News is reporting police and ambulance were called to the singer's Oxfordshire property at just after 1.30pm local time.
Michael nearly died from pneumonia in late 2011.
After receiving treatment in a Vienna hospital, he made a tearful appearance outside his London home and said it had been "touch and go" whether he lived.
Doctors had performed a tracheotomy to keep his airways open and he was unconscious for some of his spell in hospital.
Born to a Greek migrant father and English mother, Michael sold over 80 million records worldwide and was nominated for eight Grammy Awards.
Tributes began flowing in for Michael after news of his death emerged with comedian Ricky Gervais and BBC DJ Tony Blackburn both calling the news "unbelievable".
"This dreadful year goes on and on. So sad, a real talent," Blackburn wrote on Twitter.
Michael's battle with pneumonia left him with psychological trauma, cancelling his Australian tour in 2012 due to "anxiety".
"Since last year's illness I have tried in vain to work my way through the trauma that the doctors who saved my life warned me I would experience," he wrote in a statement on his website.
"They recommended complete rest and the type of post-traumatic counselling which is available in cases like mine but I'm afraid I believed (wrongly) that making music and getting out there to perform for the audiences that bring me such joy would be therapy enough in itself."
Michael's 1990 album Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1 had been set to be reissued accompanied by a new film featuring Stevie Wonder, Elton John and the supermodels who starred in the video to his hit single Freedom! '90.
The movie, with the working title Freedom: George Michael, was to be narrated by Michael and set to feature Mark Ronson, Mary J Blige, Tony Bennett, Liam Gallagher, James Corden and Ricky Gervais.
The record was his second solo album, after the hugely successful Faith, and was arranged produced and almost entirely written by Michael, but did not feature him on the album cover.
He joins a long, tragic, list of celebrities who have been taken in 2016:
JANUARY
Jan 10 - David Bowie (69, UK rock music great)
Jan 14 - Alan Rickman (69, English actor)
Jan 18 - Glenn Frey (67, Eagles founder)
FEBRUARY
Feb 19 - Harper Lee (89, US author To Kill a Mockingbird)
MARCH
March 9 - Jon English (66, Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor)
March 24 - Garry Shandling, (66, US comedian/actor/writer)
March 31 - Ronnie Corbett (85, British comedian and actor (The Two Ronnies)
APRIL
April 6 - Merle Haggard (79, US country singer-songwriter)
April 21 - Prince (57, US rock musician)
JUNE
June 3 - Muhammad Ali (74, US boxer, Olympic gold medalist)
JULY
July 19 - Garry Marshall (81, US writer/director Pretty Woman, Happy Days)
AUGUST
Aug 29 - Gene Wilder (83, US actor - The Producers, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)
SEPTEMBER
Sept 25 - Arnold Palmer (87, US golf great)
Sept 28 - Max Walker (68, Australian Test cricketer/commentator)
OCTOBER
Oct 7 - Ross Higgins (85, Australian TV actor, comedian and voice actor. Best known for his role as Ted Bullpitt in Kingwood Country and Louie The Fly ad)
NOVEMBER
Nov 7 - Leonard Cohen (82, Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist)
Nov 11 - Robert Vaughn (83, US actor best known for The Man from U.N.C.L.E)
Nov 24 - Florence Henderson (82, US actor who played Carol Brady in the Brady Bunch)
DECEMBER
Dec 2 - Andrew Sachs (86, British actor who became a household name as Manuel in the 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers)
Dec 18 - Zsa Zsa Gabor (99, Hungarian-American actress and socialite)
Dec 24 - Rick Parfitt (68, Status Quo singer/guitarist)
Dec 25 - George Michael (53, British pop superstar)
