James Kennedy is speaking out on the death of his famous godfather, George Michael. After the 53-year-old pop superstar was found dead at his home on Christmas Day, Kennedy took to social media to pay tribute to his “second dad” with several poignant posts. But now, Kennedy is also explaining why he was estranged from Michael during the Wham! singer’s final years.
According to The Sun , while George showered the future Vanderpump Rules star with gifts when he was a child, James Kennedy hadn’t seen his estranged godfather in over 10 years. Kennedy’s father, music producer Andros Georgiou, reportedly had a falling out with the longtime family friend following the singer’s 1998 arrest for lewd behavior in a California restroom.
“He was like a second dad but we never really got to talk again, which is heartbreaking,” Kennedy said after Michael’s sudden death.
“That really upset me the most. I always thought that once I get older, make a little money to travel myself I could just go find him. It was a matter of people being stubborn and thinking there was more time then there actually is.”
James Kennedy revealed that he was distraught upon finding out that George had passed away.
“I know he was sick for a while,” James said. “I was crying all night when I heard the news. He is a legend and he touched everyone with his music. I love him and I’ll always love him.”
Kennedy described his late godfather as “a massive inspiration” and said he spent every Christmas with him until his family moved when he was 10-years-old. The late star was not only godfather to James, 24, but also to his younger brother Harry, 22.
After the “Careless Whisper” singer died, James Kennedy posted a throwback photo of the two of them holding a giant stuffed dinosaur at Christmastime when he was a kid.
“Rest In Peace George,” James captioned the black-and-white pic. “I’m heartbroken we never got to speak again after so many years, I can’t believe this has happened, please watch over me in heaven Godfather. Enjoy paradise I love you.”
“He got me a rocking horse and that Barney the dinosaur that year,” James told The Sun of the photo . “He would always bring the best presents. His energy really set the tone for our family.”
Kennedy revealed that George doted upon him and gave him elaborate Christmas gifts when he was a child and that the Grammy winner’s famous holiday song, “Last Christmas’ often played throughout his family’s home during the holidays.
“He was great – I used to call him uncle George. He was like a second dad – he was family. He wasn’t George Michael to me, it was family. His Christmas song would be playing in the kitchen when we were there and I didn’t even know it was him. It was always fun when George was there.”
After Michael’s death, James also posted a photo of his father and the singer with their arms around each other.
“Dad and Yog,” James wrote. “God takes angels when he needs them. Thank you all for your messages, bless you all. Dad, I’ll be with you soon and can’t wait I love you.”
According to Bravo’s The Daily Dish , George Michael was once best friends with James Kennedy’s dad, Andros Georgiou. The two grew up together and Andros ever went on to manage Wham! in the 1980s, but the longtime friends had a falling out in the late 1990s and, sadly, never reconciled. Georgiou detailed his falling out with the superstar in his autobiography, Rock: The Luckiest Man In Pop, and James Kennedy never hid the fact that he hadn’t seen his godfather in many years.
While James did boast to his Vanderpump Rules co-stars about his connection to the famous singer , last year he made it clear he hadn’t seen him in a long time. When James took to Twitter to wish Michael a happy birthday last June, he shared a throwback photo of the two of them and wrote: “Happy Birthday Uncle @GeorgeMichael. I know it’s been a long time, [you’re] in my prayers. See u soon one day I hope.”
Take a look at the video below for more on James Kennedy’s tribute to George Michael.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OexGbqmp3lo
[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for DailyMail.com]
