George Michael’s ‘Faith’ guitar sells for £234,480 at auction
publishers 100articles 156first reported 6 Oct, 18:16 UTCdeveloping since 7 Oct · 26 editions
A guitar played by George Michael in the music video for “Faith” has sold for £234,480 at an auction of the singer’s memorabilia in the UK.
The instrument, bought online by an anonymous UK-based bidder, came from the collection of Michael’s former personal assistant, Siobhan Bailey, who died in 2014. Michael had given Bailey the guitar as a gift during her 20 years working for him, according to her brother, Gerard Bailey.
The auction prompted objections from Bailey’s family. Gerard Bailey told the BBC that his sister would have been “horrified” by the sale and said the family regarded it as a breach of her privacy. He acknowledged that Bailey’s widower, Ian Belcher, had the legal right to sell the collection because she died without a will and remained legally married to him, but said she had been preparing to leave the items to her nieces and nephews.
Auction house Sworders said the legal ownership of the collection was not in dispute and declined to comment further on the family matter. Other lots included tour itineraries, rare recordings, signed photographs, a Live Aid running order and a gold disc marking 500,000 UK sales of Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 7 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 558 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- This version written
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