The estate of George Michael has re-upped with Warner Chappell Music U.K.
Announced Friday (Dec. 17), the music publishing giant will continue to represent the late British superstar artist’s works, which stretch back over four decades and cover both Michael’s solo work and the songs he wrote as frontman of ’80s pop duo Wham.
The renewed deal comes ahead of the fifth anniversary of Michael’s death. The singer passed away Dec. 25, 2016 on a day when two song he contributed to were pumping on holiday-themed playlists around the globe, Wham’s “Last Christmas,” and Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas.”
Five years on, and powered by streaming platforms, “Last Christmas” finally topped the U.K. singles charts at the start of 2021, 36 years after its release. That feat set a new chart record for the longest time taken for a single to reach the summit.
“We are genuinely delighted that, after many months of detailed discussions and negotiations, we have renewed our longstanding association with WCM which started in the early ‘80s,” comments Chris Organ, George Michael’s lawyer and co-executor of the George Michael estate.
“We live in an age of sale and acquisition, and interest in, and competition for, this catalog was fierce,” Organ continues. “George was a very loyal man who valued and nurtured long-term business relationships; but ultimately wanted to be remembered as a great songwriter.”
