Family Row Erupts Over George Michael Faith Guitar Auction
The guitar George Michael played in his 1987 Faith
music video sold for £180,000 at Sworders auction house on October 29, 2026, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of £60,000 to £120,000 amid a bitter family dispute over the memorabilia.
Ian Belcher Auctions Siobhan Bailey Estate
The sale included more than 30 items from the collection of Siobhan Bailey, who worked as George Michael’s personal assistant for 20 years starting in 1984. Bailey died without a will in 2014 while in the process of divorcing her husband, Ian Belcher. Because they were still legally married at the time of her death, Belcher inherited her estate as her next of kin and placed the memorabilia up for auction under her name.
The decision to sell the items sparked sharp criticism from Bailey’s brother, Gerard Bailey. In a letter to the auction house reported by BBC News, Gerard Bailey called the sale a breach of her privacy,
a misuse of my sister’s name,
and egregiously shameful,
arguing that Belcher was attempting to cash in.
He asserted that his late sister would have been horrified at the prospect of it being held in her name
and maintained that she would have left the items to her nieces and nephews had she lived long enough to complete a will.
A Defense of the Sale
Sworders chairman Guy Schooling defended the auction, telling BBC News that Belcher had been nothing but delightful
during their interactions over two and a half years. Schooling explained that Belcher chose to sell the collection because the items couldn’t stay in the garage forever
and would have deteriorated.
Sworders auctioneer Guy Schooling added, There are two ways of looking at this – it can be cashing in, or it can be a bit of a memorial and a tribute to Siobhan, and that’s the way we’ve looked at it.
Belcher declined to comment to reporters regarding the dispute.
Faith Video Guitar Sells for £180,000
Total sales for the more than 30 lots reached £238,000, excluding the buyers’ premium, according to yahoo.com. The headline item was the vintage acoustic Gretsch Synchromatic guitar used in the Faith
video, which Michael reportedly purchased in Los Angeles and later gifted to Bailey. Guitarist magazine recently described the instrument as arguably the most famous of its model in the world. It sold alongside its original hardshell case and leather strap for £180,000.
Other notable lots included a signed copy of Queen’s Five Live
EP owned by Michael, which fetched £7,000, and a gold disc for Wham!’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
that sold for £4,500. A Malaga City Council award presented to Michael brought in £1,300, while a 1988 tour ringbound itinerary reached £5,000 and a personal Filofax with Bailey’s annotations attracted a bid of £1,750, according to faroutmagazine.co.uk.
Faith Tour Film Releases in November 2026
The auction coincides with renewed public attention on Michael’s catalog ahead of the November 6, 2026, release of George Michael: The Faith Tour
in cinemas. The film features newly remastered footage from a 1988 Paris concert, accompanied by an 18-track live album. Additional projects in development include a potential release of an unfinished duet recorded with Elton John, following a tribute performance to Michael by Sombr, RAYE, Adam Lambert, and Teddy Swims at the 2026 MTV VMAs.
Disclaimer: The views and cultural analyses presented in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.