While Christmas Day is usually a source of celebration, it's not without its tragedies.
In 2016, hearts were broken around the world when George Michael was found dead on the festive morning. George isn't the only celebrity to have died on Christmas Day, however, with some of the best and brightest stars having also lost their lives on December 25.
George Michael
One tragic loss came on Christmas Day of 2016, when beloved pop star George Michael was found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, aged just 53. The star’s partner, Fadi Fawaz, went to wake him up in the morning, but found him lifeless in bed.
Image:
AFP/Getty Images)In a statement, Fadi said: "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. Everything had been very complicated recently, but George was looking forward to Christmas, and so was I."
George and Fadi had been together since 2012, and the hairstylist shared his heartbreak over the loss. He tweeted soon after the startling discovery of George’s body: "It's a Xmas I will never forget finding your partner dead peacefully in bed first thing in the morning... I will never stop missing you xx"
The cause of George’s death wasn’t revealed until the following March, when a coroner ruled that George died of natural causes from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver. Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle, which causes the muscle to become stretched and thin over time, which affects how blood can be pumped around the body.
Tragically, just three years later, George’s sister died - also on Christmas Day. Melanie Panayiotou died exactly three years after her brother, at the age of 59. The family confirmed in a statement that Melanie "passed away suddenly" over Christmas, after she fell into a diabetic coma.
Charlie Chaplin
Image:
Bettmann Archive)Cinema star Charlie Chaplin was born in 1889, and experienced a tough childhood including workhouse stays and the loss of his mother to a mental asylum. Despite the odds, the silent actor rose out of poverty to become one of the most famous and successful actors ever.
By the 1970s, however, Charlie’s health began to take a turn. The star was confined to a wheelchair after having several strokes, and he needed constant care by October 1977. On Christmas Day of that year, Charlie was found dead at the age of 88 after having a stroke in his sleep. The comic’s funeral was held just two days later in a private ceremony. Charlie left more than $100 million to his widow, which unfortunately resulted in the theft of his body and coffin in a ransom attempt, before police recovered him so that he could be re-buried in an enforced vault.
James Brown
Funk music legend James Brown began struggling with a sudden illness on December 23, 2006. The 73-year-old reportedly seemed "very bad... weak and dazed" when he went to a dentist appointment, with the dentist urging him to seek care. The singer was admitted to hospital, with manager and friend Charles Bobbit there to support him.
Image:
Getty Images)Early on Christmas morning, James died from congestive heart failure, resulting from complications of pneumonia. Bobbit was at his bedside, and shared that James had said: "I'm going away tonight,” before falling asleep and passing away. Some fans and investigators have claimed that James’ sudden illness and death wasn’t natural, and that the singer was actually murdered.
Dean Martin
Hollywood star Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti on June 7, 1917, in Ohio, and was a shy child due to not learning English until he went to school aged five. Things changed when he began singing, and quickly took off as a comedian, actor, and icon of the time.
Image:
BBC)Like his fellow Rat Pack musicians, Dean had been a heavy smoker throughout his life. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in September 1993, and rejected instructions to undergo surgery. Just two years later, he died of acute respiratory failure at the age of 78, at his home in Beverly Hills. Tributes quickly flooded in for the unforgettable talent, with the lights on the Las Vegas strip dimmed in his honour. In February 2009, Dean was honoured with a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Eartha Kitt
One-in-a-generation singer Eartha Kitt died of colon cancer aged 81, at home on Christmas Day, 2008. Eartha’s daughter, Kitt McDonald, was present for her mum’s death, and explained how she spent her final moments.
“I was with her when she died. She left this world literally screaming at the top of her lungs. I was with her constantly, she lived not even 3 miles from my house, we were together practically every day. She was home for the last few weeks when the doctor told us there was nothing they could do any more. Up until the last two days, she was still moving around. The doctor told us she will leave very quickly and her body will just start to shut down,” she described to Mommy Noire.
Image:
Getty Images)“But when she left, she left the world with a bang, she left it how she lived it. She screamed her way out of here, literally. I truly believe her survival instincts were so part of her DNA that she was not going to go quietly or willingly. It was just the two of us hanging out [during the last days] she was very funny. We didn't have to [talk] because I always knew how she felt about me.
“I was the love of her life, so the last part of her life we didn't have to have these heart to heart talks. She started to see people that weren't there. She thought I could see them too, but, of course, I couldn't. I would make fun of her like, ‘I'm going to go in the other room and you stay here and talk to your friends.’”
* Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
English (US) ·