Boy George on George Michael's death last year

Boy George opens up about George Michael's final years: 'He really kept people out'

January 25, 2017 by Gemma Strong

It's been exactly one month since George Michael passed away. Among those who have been remembering the star is Boy George, who opened up about his friendship with George during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live this week.

The 55-year-old singer told host Andy Cohen that he was in touch "on and off" with George, but said he was unaware of his personal issues. "I read stuff in the papers. But I never really knew really what – he kept people out, he was quite private," he revealed.

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Boy George opened up about his friendship with George Michael

Boy George spoke about the pair's relationship, admitting that they were rivals before they became friends.

"In the early days we were competition to each other," he said. "Both called George, both made soul music. So in the early days we were really in competition. Then sort of later on, I started to really appreciate him as a musician – you know, right around Faith. I started to really appreciate his talent."

George passed away on Christmas morning at his home in Goring-on-Thames. He was 53. His manager has conjectured that heart failure was the cause of his death.