The philanthropic acts of George Michael: from £5k tips to nurses' gigs
Since his death, stories have emerged that reveal his generous, often spontaneous, acts of kindness.
The star often kept aside tickets for NHS staff at his concerts and once gave an entire special concert free of charge for nurses as a thank you for the care they had given his mother a decade earlier.
When she died of cancer in 1997, Michael described his mother as a “woman of great compassion”, adding: “She felt much as I do, that we were living in a world that was gradually being drained of that.”
Lynda Thomas, the chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We are extremely grateful to George and send our condolences to his family, friends and fans.”
Michael was among the stars who produced the original Band Aid single Do They Know It’s Christmas? which sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and raised more than £19m for famine relief in Ethiopia.
He donated the royalties from Last Christmas/Everything She Wants to Ethiopian famine relief and proceeds from Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me went to the London Lighthouse Aids hospice and the Rainbow Trust children’s charity.
But it was the revelation that he was given to carrying out unplanned acts of generosity that gave fans comfort in the hours following his death.
TV presenter Richard Osman revealed in a tweet that Michael had contacted a woman who appeared on Deal or No Deal to quietly give her the money she needed for IVF treatment.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...of-george-michael-from-5k-tips-to-nurses-gigs