George Michael's family paid tribute to the late, great singer on the anniversary of his 2016 death with a touching note on his .
The note, which referred to Michael by his nickname "Yog" (derived from the Greek prononcuation of his name) described how happy he would have been to see Wham's festive staple 'Last Christmas' back in the charts, as well as the success of his classic album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1.
"This year has been a series of new and tough challenges for those of us close and loyal to Yog," the note read, "not least of which was steeling ourselves this month, to hear ‘Last Christmas’ and ‘December Song’ streaming out of shops, cars, and radios, as it has done for decades, knowing he’s no longer here with us, missing him."
Listen Without Prejudice was re-released in October to coincide with a Showtime documentary, George Michael: Freedom, and featured remastered classics, B-sides and his MTV Unplugged concert. The multi-disc set debuted at number one in the U.K.
Michael's family urged his fans to put aside their differences and make Christmas a time of love, as he would have wanted.
"This Christmas will be hard without him, but we know that we are not alone in our mourning the anniversary of his loss, and that the sadness of our wider family, and true friends, is shared by many of you.
"Yog shared his music with all of us, and many of you connected deeply with his words, yet in life, many hold their own important words and feelings inside, as so often they are the hardest to say out loud."
So if you can, in his memory this year, take a moment and a deep breath and say those ‘I Love You’s’ out loud.
Michael's boyfriend, Fadi Fawaz, also posted a poem dedicated to him on his Instagram.
Fawaz reportedly told he was escaping London to celebrate Christmas with friends in the countryside.
"I can't stand all the Christmas trees or lights around London," Fawaz said. "It makes me so sad, I just want it over and done with."
Fawaz, who had been with Michael since 2009, was the one to discover the singer in 2016, after he had died of natural causes due to heart and liver problems.
