WITH gleaming Porsches and Aston Martins lining its immaculately manicured streets, the north London enclave of Highgate village is one of the most exclusive areas in Britain.
Well-heeled residents include global music icons Sting and Harry Styles, while the Princess of Wales recently scouted £10,000-a-term Highgate School for Prince George.
But amid the stunning properties served by the nearby artisanal bakeries and organic food stores, one stands out like a sore thumb — George Michael's much-loved home.
Since the singer's shock death in 2016, Oakhill Mansion has slumped into disrepair, its garden's enormous trees and bushes now overgrown and unkempt.
Yesterday the Grade II pile bought by George in 1987 as his solo career took off, was being propped up by scaffolding, while overflowing skips littered the driveway, as workers toil to turn around its fortunes.
We used to see George around but no one seems to have been in the house for years. With all that money sloshing about, it's strange that it's taken so long to get around to sorting it out. Why has it taken so long?
Local resident
Neighbours are struggling to comprehend its downturn when the star left a £97.6million fortune.
One local said: "We used to see George around but no one seems to have been in the house for years. With all that money sloshing about, it's strange that it's taken so long to get around to sorting it out. Why has it taken so long?"
The Careless Whisper star died aged 53 on Christmas Day 2016 as a result of heart and liver disease.
But it was more than two years later, in May 2019, that court paperwork was issued, meaning his estate could finally be divided up.
The bulk of it went to sisters Yioda and Melanie Panayiotou, while his dad, Kyriacos, known as Jack, was handed the use of the singer's horse stud farm in Hertfordshire, where he had lived for years, "for so long as he wishes".
Paintings and artworks — including pieces by Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin — plus his John Lennon piano went to the Mill Charitable Trust, which George set up in 2009 to give money away to other charities.
The remainder of the estate was to be sold then divided as trustees saw fit between his father, sisters and pals.
They included Wham! bandmate Shirlie Kemp, model Kay Mayer, record producer and pal David Austin, former PA Michelle May, cousin Alex Georgiou, publicist Connie Filippo and family friend Sonia Bird.
His goddaughters Harley Moon Kemp and Bluebell Halliwell – the daughter of backing singer Shirlie and of Spice Girl Geri — were also included.
But notably, nothing was left for ex-lover Fadi Fawaz, 49, who discovered Michael's body at his home in Goring-on-Thames. After George's death he squatted at another of the singer's London properties near Regent's Park, refusing to give the £5million pile back to George's family.
Long-running feud
In July 2019 he was arrested after reportedly standing on the roof topless. A few days earlier he had been in trouble for smashing up the house.
However, former partner Kenny Goss did get some money despite not being named in the will.
Kenny had asked for a £15,000-a-month payment but eventually settled for an undisclosed sum following a long-running feud.
George's portfolio of other homes around the world were sold for eye-watering profits, plus cash from royalties and publishing rights continue to pour into the family coffers every year.
Over the past two years alone the music legend has raked in more than £30million in royalties. Exactly three years after George's death, the star's eldest sister Melanie, was found dead at her north London home the age of 59.
Melanie, who had also been his hair and make-up artist, was later revealed to have left just £6.2million of her share of the inheritance.
Her death was reportedly due to diabetic ketoacidosis. She was buried in Highgate Cemetery beside George and their mother Lesley who died of cancer in 1997.
Managing the estate then fell to younger sister Yioda, 62, who now has control over his remaining fortune.
Unmarried Yioda was one of the few people the singer continued to trust as he became ravaged by booze and substance abuse towards the end of his life.
After their mother's death, she moved in with George to help him come to terms with his grief.
Thirty years later, Yioda was handed the keys to Oakhill Mansion but was soon struggling to manage it.
Now she has been given the green light by Camden Council for a swathe of repairs.
Her team of architects BB Partnership submitted planning documents promising to transform it into a "habitable condition".
So the posh Highgate neighbourhood is forced to endure the shrill daily noise of building machinery which has churned up the muddy footpath sloping past the house.
Armies of builders clad in high-vis jackets mill around the gated courtyard where owners of the adjoining luxury flats park their expensive cars. Yesterday neighbours complained that the eyesore is a blight on the affluent area.
We used to see George occasionally but as no one has bothered filling us in, we've no idea (what's going on).
Local resident
One man, who declined to give his name, said: "It's a shame because this is a lovely area and people use the footpath to walk their dogs — we have all been wondering what is going on.
Decayed cladding
"We used to see George occasionally but as no one has bothered filling us in, we've no idea (what's going on)."
The extensive renovation include removing a water tank, installing a new roof with solar panels, and replacing the decayed exterior cladding with modern white laminate.
Plans include converting two garages into living quarters "with a more traditional house frontage" which will "reinstate the character of the house".
New decking will be installed around the main house and a window on the upper ground floor will be raised to give a better view of the garden.
A garage will also be extended to house a "large SUV".
Plus landscape designers want permission to fell or heavily prune nine trees, which have become a threat to the property but are in a Conservation Area.
This includes flattening an eight-metre high holly and an 11-metre thuja tree, which is "growing within close proximity of the building".
And a 13-metre fast growing mature Leyland cypress needs to be cut back.
Yioda's team also needs to slash an 18-metre-high sycamore which is hanging over the garages and remove dead wood.
When all the work is complete, Yioda is expected to move back into the pad, which local estate agents predict will be worth well over £10m.
She is currently thought to be living in rural Oxfordshire to escape the glare of the spotlight and armies of fans who still regularly make pilgrimages to Highgate.
Camden Council's planning officer Daniel Pope said: "Given the nature of the work and the distance away from neighbouring properties the proposal is not considered harmful in terms of loss of privacy, outlook, implications to natural light, artificial light spill, or impacts caused from the construction phase of the development."
His £23milllion yearly royalties
George's company Nobby's Hobbies Holding Ltd made an astonishing £23,777,237 last year.
While the estate rakes in millions from royalties, some are shared with former bandmate Andrew Ridgeley and George's god son, DJ Roman Kemp.
While Roman's shares have not been disclosed, Andrew has been able to live comfortably thanks to the royalties from Careless Whisper, which he co-wrote.
That hit alone has earned him a reported £10 million since 1982.
But he missed out on any cash from their mega hit Last Christmas. Wham! donated all royalties to Ethiopian famine relief when Band Aid kept them off the top spot in 1984.
The song still earns at least £300,000 per year in royalties, and when it went to No1 in December those proceeds went to African charities too.
Royalties from Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, the 1991 duet with Elton John, go to Terrence Higgins Trust, the Rainbow Trust, and London Lighthouse hospice.
Proceeds from George's 1996 hit Jesus to a Child went to Childline
HIS FIVE OTHER PROPERTIES
Goring
GEORGE bought Mill Cottage, a 16th Century rural cottage in the exclusive Berkshire village of Goring in 2001.
It was there he died on Christmas Day 2016.
The house was snapped up by property developers from Hong Kong for £3.8million in 2020.
They then transformed it into a stylish Airbnb rental, charging £550 a night.
St Tropez
HIS stunning French villa appeared on the market for £10.3million within months of his death.
Boasting six bedrooms, a huge swimming pool and sweeping sea views, George had owned the lavish property in Ramatuelle since the Eighties.
He affectionately dubbed the house Chez Nobby after his childhood nickname.
Sydney
WHILE on a whirlwind visit to celebrate Sydney's Mardi Gras festival with Fadi in 2010, George adored the five bedroom, five bathroom clifftop house with ocean views.
Having first been sold in 2020 for A$5.8million, in 2023 it was quietly listed for A$15million and is now a popular summer rental commanding £2,000 a night.
Santa Barbara
LESS than a year after he died, George's luxurious Californian mansion was up for sale at £4.9million.
With five bedrooms and six bathrooms, it also features a pool, sauna, tennis court and parking for 25 cars.
George's family were keen to flog the pad to offer Fadi a financial incentive to leave the London townhouse.
Dallas
IN the early days of his fiery relationship with Kenny Goss, George hung out in Dallas, Texas.
The 5500sq ft, four bedroom, colonial-style house was lined with expensive pieces of art from Kenny's vast collection.
It was sold six months after George died for just under £3million.
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