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 Several luxury cars with blacked-out windows arrived and
later left Highgate Cemetery in north London, Reuters reporters
said. British media said Michael's mother is buried there.
Born in London in 1963 as Georgios Kyriacos Panayiatou, son of a
Greek Cypriot immigrant father and English mother, Michael
became one of the best-selling British recording artists of all
time. He sold over 115 million records worldwide by the time of
his death.
In his career with Wham! and as a solo singer, his hits included
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Last Christmas", "Careless
Whisper" and "Faith", winning him legions of fans.
The outside gates of Highgate Cemetery, the final resting place
of such luminaries as communism's founder Karl Marx, biologist
Herbert Spencer, historian Eric Hobsbawm and scientist Michael
Faraday, were covered to restrict the view of the private
ceremony.
"Family and close friends gathered for the small, private
ceremony to say goodbye to their beloved son, brother and
friend," a family statement from the singer's publicist said,
without confirming the venue.
"George Michael's family would like to thank his fans across the
world for their many messages of love and support."
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Earlier this month, a coroner said the singer, who was part of
the hugely popular Wham! duo in the 1980s before embarking on a
successful solo career, died of natural causes.
It said there was no need for further inquiries into his death
at the age of 53.
(Reporting by Sarah Mills and Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by
Tom Heneghan)
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