George Michael’s former partner Kenny Goss wins a share of star’s £97m will after legal battle

Art dealer won money after claiming he had been financially supported by Michael before singer’s death

George Michael’s former partner Kenny Goss is set to receive a share of the star’s £97m estate, after a long-running court battle.

The trustees of Michael’s estate have agreed a financial settlement with Goss, after the art dealer had demanded payments of £15,000 a month, claiming that Michael had supported him financially when they were together from 1996 to 2009.

He has now agreed a settlement with trustees Christopher Organ and Michael’s sister, Panayiota Panayiotou, according to documents released by the High Court in London.

Goss and Michael met at a Los Angeles restaurant in 1988 and were a couple for 13 years from 1996.

Goss was suing under the Inheritance (Provisions for Family and Dependents) Act 1975, which allows those who were financially dependent on someone in life to claim from their estate even if they are left out of the will.

Michael died from heart and liver disease in 2016, aged 53, with the majority of his estate going to his older sisters, his father, Jack, and friends. He did not leave anything to Goss, nor to his boyfriend at the time of his death, Fadi Fawaz.

In 2019, Wham! star Andrew Ridgeley said he still has “a number of questions” about his best friend and former bandmate Michael’s death.

The coroner ruled his death as being due to a heart condition, and therefore not suspicious.

However, in his autobiography, George and Me, Ridgeley wrote: “He seemed to be in good health and there are conflicting reports surrounding that night that preceded his passing.

“That the circumstances of his death seemed unclear only compounded the distress. Without any real closure the grieving seemed terribly raw.

“A heart condition was eventually recorded as the cause of death, but there are still a number of questions. It now seems as if we may never know what really happened.”