The key facts
- The Gretsch Synchromatic guitar from the Faith video is estimated at £60,000–120,000
- The items are being sold by Siobhan Bailey's widower; she died in 2014 without a will
- Siobhan's brother asked for the auction to be cancelled or held on behalf of his brother-in-law
Family dispute surrounds the auction of George Michael memorabilia
On Thursday, the auction house Sworders will offer 32 lots from the collection of Siobhan Bailey — George Michael's personal assistant for 20 years, starting in 1984. The headline lot is a vintage acoustic Gretsch Synchromatic guitar, which the singer played in the 1987 Faith music video; Guitarist magazine called it 'possibly the most famous Gretsch Synchromatic in the world.' The lot is estimated at £60,000 to £120,000, BBC News reports.
Who owns the items and why the family objects
Siobhan Bailey died suddenly in 2014 at the age of 56 without leaving a will, so her property legally passed to her husband Ian Belcher, from whom she was in the process of divorcing at the time of her death. It is he who is selling the collection. Her brother Gerard Bailey told the BBC that shortly before her death his sister had begun drafting a will under which the items were to go to her nephews and nieces, but it was never formalized; according to him, had she lived a few more weeks, the inheritance would not have gone to Belcher. He called the sale a 'violation of his sister's privacy' and demanded that the auction be cancelled or held on behalf of Belcher rather than Siobhan. Neither Sworders nor Belcher provided comment; at the same time, as the BBC notes, no one disputes Belcher's right to sell the items.
What is up for auction
Alongside the guitar, the catalogue includes personal items: a Filofax with Siobhan's handwritten notes from the 1988 Faith tour (starting estimate up to £600, current bid £1,750), signed photographs of Wham! and Michael, a note 'with love and admiration' from Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, an invitation to Ridgeley's 21st birthday, as well as a gold disc and a platinum CD awarded to Bailey for sales of Michael's music. According to a separate BBC report published on 3 September, the guitar had been put up for auction before the public dispute arose. Siobhan's brother claims that she would 'never have agreed' to the sale of these items and wanted the belongings to remain in the family.
Image source, Michael Putland/Getty Images George Michael gave items including his Faith guitar to his assistant Siobhan Bailey
Image source, Pete Still/Redferns via Getty Images The memorabilia on sale includes signed photographs of Wham! and George Michael on stage
