George Michael’s family ‘finally allowed to erect bronze statue in his honour’

George Michael’s family have finally received permission to erect a statue in honour of the late singer. 

The Wham star was found dead in bed at his cottage in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire on Christmas day 2016 aged just 53.

And now his loved ones plan to place the statue near his beloved country home after waiting five years for permission from the local council. 

With work soon to get underway after sculptor Laura Lian recently met the singer’s childhood friend Andros Georgiou on the proposed site.  

A source told The Sun: ‘Everyone is thrilled to finally have the go ahead. Work starts soon’.

RIP: The Wham star was found dead in his bed in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire cottage on Christmas day in 2016 aged just 53 (pictured in 2005)

‘Laura was introduced to George’s estate by a friend and they loved her previous work, including figures of David Bowie and John Lennon. Everyone is looking forward to one day being able to unveil the statue in Goring.

MailOnline have contacted George Michael’s estate for further comment.  

During the stand-off councillors had warned of ‘resistance’ from the village’s 3,200 wealthy residents. 

When an application was first lodged back in 2018 concerns were raised after fans flocked to Goring following the iconic singer’s death.

It’s believed that local residents were concerned a statue would bring further traffic and footfall to the tiny village. 

It comes just weeks after a tearful Sir Elton John stunned Glastonbury’s crowd on as he paid a heartfelt tribute to late singer George on what would have been his 60th birthday.

The pop legend, 76, who was close friends with the late singing legend, was left in tears as he took to the iconic Pyramid Stage for the final UK show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

The superstar singer chose his famous 1974 ballad hit Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, as the crowd was left in absolute awe during the emotional moment.

Heartfelt: It comes just weeks after a tearful Sir Elton John stunned Glastonbury’s crowd on as he paid a heartfelt tribute to late singer George on what would have been his 60th birthday

Emotional: The pop legend, 76, was left in tears as he took to the iconic Pyramid Stage for the final UK show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour

Old friends: Elton (R) and George (L) pictured together in 2011

Elton introduced the song with a moving preamble to his late friend George – who died to natural causes aged 53 on December 2016 – as today would have mark his 60th birthday.

After he introduced his band, the Tiny Dancer hitmaker tearfully said: ‘It’s a very, very special day today and I wonder how I’m going to approach it.

‘One of Britain’s most fantastic singers and songwriters was George Michael. He was my friend, he was an inspiration, and today would have been his 60th birthday, so I want to dedicate this song to his memory. All the music he left us with is so gorgeous. This is for you George.’ 

He was seen removing his famous red-tinted glasses to wipe away tears as his musical guests paid tribute to him on stage. 

The pop favourite then amazed the crowd with a sensational performance of the song, as part of his iconic star-studded set.