A guitar played by George Michael in the video for his hit song Faith is expected to fetch £120,000 at auction after being consigned by the estranged husband of the singer’s former personal assistant.
Michael gave the guitar to his long-serving assistant, Siobhan Bailey. Her estranged husband, Ian Belcher, inherited it after her death in 2014 and has now put it up for sale, a decision that has triggered a dispute within the family.
The auction also includes several photographs personally signed and dedicated to Bailey, Michael’s running order for Live Aid, and an annotated itinerary from Wham!’s landmark 1985 tour of China.
Bailey’s brother, Gerard Bailey, told the BBC that she “would be horrified at the prospect of the auction being held in her name and that her personal, cherished possessions are being sold off to the highest bidder”.
He said his sister had been in the process of divorcing Belcher, although they remained legally married when she died.
Gerard also claimed that Bailey had begun preparing a will shortly before her death, intending to leave the memorabilia to her nieces and nephews. However, the document was never registered.
George Michael gave the guitar to his long-term personal assistant, Siobhan Bailey
Bailey began working as Michael’s personal assistant in 1984 and held the role for 20 years
The guitar was given to Bailey as a gift because Michael “thought so much of her”, according to her brother Gerard
Gerard did not suggest that Mr Belcher lacked the legal right to sell the possessions. However, he said that if his sister had lived for a few more weeks, the items would not have passed to him.
Calling it “disingenuous” to promote the auction in Bailey’s name, Gerard said that, should the sale proceed, it ought to be conducted under Mr Belcher’s name instead.
He said Bailey would have wanted the memorabilia to “have remained with her family and we would never have sold”, accusing Mr Belcher of choosing to “cash in” 12 years after his sister’s death.
Bailey joined Michael as his personal assistant in 1984 and remained in the job for two decades.
“I think she was one of the few people George trusted and whose opinion he valued,” Gerard said.
MUST READ: UK Defence Secretary Healey risks PM’s bid to ease Brexit splits
“She was always honest and straight with him. I guess that’s why she stayed working for him for so long through the very, very good and not so good times.”
Gerard said Michael gave the guitar to his sister as a gift because he “thought so much of her”.
The star played the Gretsch Synchromatic 160 with striking energy in the video for the 1987 hit Faith, an album that sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.
The auction includes several photographs signed and personally inscribed to Siobhan Bailey
The annotated itinerary from Wham!’s historic 1985 China tour, the first by a major Western pop act, includes a Chinese-language invitation to a welcome reception in Beijing
Presentation discs and gold records marking major sales milestones are among the auction lots
George Michael concert tickets, passes and invitations are also included
The guitar has been displayed at auction house Sworders in London over the past week and is due to go under the hammer today.
Guy Schooling, chairman of Sworders, said: “George Michael’s work continues to resonate as powerfully today as it did during his heyday.
“The Faith guitar is the ‘jewel in the crown’. Alongside the other pieces from Siobhan Bailey’s collection, it tells a story of creativity, ambition and artistry on a global scale.
“The sale will give devoted fans around the world the opportunity to own not only pieces of music history, but objects that capture the spirit and ambition of one of pop’s greatest and most loved artists.”
Mr Belcher declined to comment when approached by the BBC.
A Sworders spokesperson said: “We are not well placed to comment on a family matter, but such disputes are not uncommon in the auction business.
“In this case, as the BBC article makes clear, the legal title to the collection is not in question.”
