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Andrew Ridgeley Slams Documentary on George Michael’s Last Days

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Wenn

Andrew Ridgeley has slammed bosses at British broadcaster Channel 5 for airing a documentary about his late Wham! bandmate George Michael.

The Last Days of George Michael aired on the channel on Thursday (23Mar17), prompting outrage from fans of the Careless Whisper singer, who passed away aged 53 on Christmas Day (25Dec17).

Among those angered by the decision to broadcast the show ahead of George’s funeral, which was delayed due to investigations into the cause of his death, was Andrew, who founded Wham! with the late star in 1981.

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In two tweets he wrote, “2 (To) conceive such a sensationalist & mucky piece of voyeurism may be par 4 (for) the course for u (you), the decision to air b4 (before) GM’s (George Michael) funeral is insensitive, contemptuous & reprehensible. U (You) might have the had decency 2 (to) schedule post funeral & after a respectful period.”

The documentary looked at George’s life and the weeks leading up to his death and included previously unaired interview footage.

A spokesperson for Channel 5 defended their decision to air the show, saying in a statement that he was a “high profile public figure” and that there was “legitimate public interest in the circumstances surrounding his death”.

They added, “‘The Last Days of George Michael’ is a measured account of the days preceding his death in December and of his musical career and his personal life, including his philanthropy, based on contributions from those who knew him and reported on him over many decades.”

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The program was not available on Channel 5’s streaming service My5 on Friday morning (24Mar17), but the broadcaster told WENN the delay was due to technical difficulties rather than any decision to pull the show from its online platform.

A spokesperson for U.K. TV regulator Ofcom told WENN that despite the online outrage they had not received any complaints about the broadcast of the documentary.

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Wenn

Earlier this month (Mar17), a coroner’s report confirmed the singer, who was found dead in his bed by boyfriend Fadi Fawaz, died of natural causes due to the heart condition dilated cardiomyopathy with a myocarditis and a fatty liver.

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