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A Tribute to Lesley Panayiotou

George's beloved mother, Lesley Angold Harrison Panayiotou, died on February 26, 1997, of cancer. As any true fan knows, Mrs. Panayiotou was his pillar of strength. We at Yours Only George express our most sincere condolences to George and his family at this time.

Lesley Panayiotou through her son's eyes

Roses for Lesley "It's great to be able to admire your parents and most people love their mother and father, but there were things going on when I was growing up that I never understood. There are things about my mum that I only realized later, things that make me really admire her. If there's anything that I have got from her it's that she's like a rock. I've got that stability from her."

~ George Michael, Bare, 1990


"My father was the typical Greek who comes to London and works 24 hours a day, so his views were never impressed on me when I was very young. I always saw it through my mother's eyes in terms of what I should be after, and it wasn't money."

~ George Michael, Wham! The Death of a Supergroup, 1987

Roses for Lesley

Roses for Lesley "I'd got the singing bug when I was seven, and Mum had given me a tape recorder as a present. As I got older, Dad was against the idea but Mum began to realize that I might have something and started to sympathize with me."

~ George Michael, Wham!, 1985


"She pretty much used to go along with my dad in that she wanted me to get an education so that if this incredible dream I had didn't work out, I would have something to fall back on. But she's much more musical, and by the time I started writing songs--by the time I was about 17--she started to believe in me, musically."

~ George Michael, "Souled Out," Interview, October 1988

Roses for Lesley

Roses for Lesley "My mother was a woman of great compassion, and she felt much as I do, that we were living in a world that was gradually being drained of that."

"Very soon after she died, I went into the recording studio with an artist that I very much respect, a new artist, and I recorded a song that I hoped might help my father over the loss of someone that he loved for 40 years."

~ George Michael, March 26, 1997


"My mum died recently, and rather than let that slow me down, I've tried to use it as inspiration in a way. She was incredibly proud of what I do. Probably, parents are the only people who enjoy a career like mine, more than the actual person involved. She was amazingly proud."

~ George Michael, GWR-FM interview, May 30, 1997

Roses for Lesley

Do you have a memory of Lesley Panayiotou? We've created a new page called A Tribute to Lesley Panayiotou, Through the Fans' Eyes. It was inspired by a beautiful letter we received from Donna, a fan who had met Mrs. Panayiotou. We were so touched by the letter that we asked her if we could post it on this website. Fortunately, she agreed.


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