George Michael's Faith guitar sells for £234,480 despite his late assistant's family saying she would be 'horrified'
George Michael's 1940s Gretsch Synchromatic 160 guitar, gifted to his personal assistant Siobhan Bailey, goes to auction today at an estimate of £120,000 despite her brother's protests.George Michael's estate has filed a legal claim at London's Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court against Andros Georgiou, as Michael's iconic Faith guitar goes under the hammer today despite his assistant's…
The 1940s Gretsch Synchromatic 160, a personal gift from George Michael to his assistant Siobhan Bailey because he "thought so much of her," sailed past its £120,000 top estimate to sell for £234,480 to an anonymous UK bidder online. Bailey's estranged husband Ian Belcher inherited the 32-lot collection when she died intestate in 2014, still legally his wife despite divorce proceedings being under way.
Her brother Gerard Bailey says Siobhan had started drafting a will that would have left her possessions to her nieces and nephews, but she died before it was formally registered.
In a letter to Sworders, Gerard described the use of his sister's name as 'frankly dishonourable' and requested the sale be listed under Belcher's name instead.
Other lots include Wham!'s 1985 China tour itinerary and Michael's Live Aid running order — the sale falls just weeks before the tenth anniversary of his death.
