George Michael's Faith Guitar Sells for £180,000 Amid Family Dispute

The guitar played by George Michael in the music video for his hit song "Faith" has sold for £180,000 at auction. The sale, conducted by Sworders, is part of a collection of memorabilia from the estate of Siobhan Bailey, Michael's long-time personal assistant.

However, the auction has been overshadowed by a dispute involving Bailey's estranged husband, Ian Belcher, who inherited her possessions upon her death in 2014, and her brother, Gerard Bailey. Gerard Bailey has stated that his sister would have been "horrified" by the auction of her personal items and that the sale is a "breach of her privacy."

Siobhan Bailey worked as Michael's personal assistant for 20 years, starting in 1984. Her brother described her as one of the few people George Michael truly trusted, valuing her honesty and discretion. She reportedly received the "Faith" guitar as a personal gift from the singer. The instrument played a key role in Michael's transition to a solo artist and is described by Guitarist magazine as "arguably the most famous Gretsch Synchromatic in the world."

Sworders has cataloged the 32 lots as a "remarkable group of memorabilia from the collection of Siobhan Bailey, George Michael's long-time personal assistant and trusted confidante." Other items in the auction include a Filofax with notes from the "Faith" tour, which had a guide price of up to £600 but received bids significantly higher, a signed Wham! photograph, and invitations to events. The collection also features personalized gold and platinum discs awarded for Michael's music sales.

Gerard Bailey claims his sister was in the process of divorcing Belcher when she died, without having made a will. He stated that she had begun to draft a will that would have left the items to her nieces and nephews, but it was never finalized. Legally, her estate passed to Belcher as her husband at the time of her death. Bailey expressed that if his sister had lived longer, the items would not have passed to Belcher. He has requested that the auction either be canceled or proceed under Belcher's name rather than Siobhan's, calling the promotion of the sale in her name "disingenuous" and "wholly unethical."

Siobhan Bailey died unexpectedly of natural causes at age 56. Her brother insists she would not have wanted her possessions sold, believing they should have remained with her family. He accused Belcher of deciding to "cash in" 12 years after his sister's death, although he acknowledges Belcher's legal right to sell the items.