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‘Vanderpump Rules’ Stars Pay Tribute To George Michael

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 02:32 PST, Dec 26, 2016

Vanderpump Rules has a special connection to the late George Michael. Several stars from the hit Bravo reality show, which follows the staff of Lisa Vanderpump’s posh SUR restaurant in West Hollywood, have taken to social media to pay tribute to the former Wham! singer, who died suddenly of heart failure on Christmas day at age 53. In two interesting connections to the show, the late pop superstar was reportedly the first celebrity to ever dine at SUR, and he was also the godfather to Vanderpump Rules cast member James Kennedy.

Shortly after George Michael’s death was announced, a distraught James Kennedy posted a tribute to his godfather on Twitter, complete with a photo of the two of them at Christmastime when he was a child. Kennedy’s father, music producer Andros Georgio, was a close childhood friend of the late Wham! singer and went on to manage the iconic duo in the 1980s, according to Bravo. At one point, James’ dad vowed that his childhood friend would be in the delivery room when his kids were born, so it’s no surprise that Michael was chosen to be James’ godfather when the future reality star was born in 1992.

“Rest In Peace George, I can’t believe this has happened, watch over me in heaven Godfather. love you,” Vanderpump Rules star James Kennedy wrote after the pop icon’s death was announced.

Longtime Bravo fans may recall that the SUR DJ has mentioned his connection to the “Careless Whisper” singer on Vanderpump Rules, even referring to George as his dad’s “cousin” in an episode last fall. The controversial Vanderpump Rules star later confirmed the news to surprised viewers via a post on Twitter last December.

In addition to Kennedy, Vanderpump Rules head honcho Lisa Vanderpump posted that the former Wham! singer will be “greatly missed.”

“Unbelievable talent that will serenade the angels,” Vanderpump tweeted.

Vanderpump Rules bad boy Jax Taylor pointed out that Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR partner, Guillermo Zapata, liked to show off a photo to the Vanderpump Rules cast to boast that Michael was the first celebrity that ever came into SUR.

“You always will be missed,” Taylor wrote of the late pop superstar.

In an Instagram post, Taylor also wrote that George was a regular patron at SUR, and he even referred to the music legend as a friend. It is unclear how often the late singer visited SUR, but he clearly made an impression on the Vanderpump Rules bartender.

“Was always so cool having this guy come into @surrules you made so many so happy with your music!!” the Vanderpump Rules star wrote. “I remember when I first started at sur and@gzsur would show me old photos as Michael was the first celeb in his place many years ago. Thoughts and prayers with you and your family, side note: Been jammin’ to your holiday cd all night. good night my friend.”

In addition to the Vanderpump Rules cast, several cast members from Lisa Vanderpump’s other Bravo reality show paid tribute to Michael after his death. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards wrote that too many pop music legends have died in the same year, also citing Prince’s sudden death earlier this year. In addition, Vanderpump’s RHOBH nemesis, Brandi Glanville, also paid her respects to the late singer.

And Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen posted an all-caps tweet saying that this year has been horrible when it comes to celebrity deaths and that it just has to end.

Vanderpump Rules is currently in its fifth season on Bravo.

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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