The private world of George Michael has been, for the last two decades of his life at least, a very public affair.
There was the Texan art dealer Kenny Goss, whom many felt was the love of Michael's life; their relationship lasted 14 years and the pair remained close.
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The career of George Michael
From the early success of Wham! to a lucrative solo career, George Michael will go down as one of the most celebrated recording artists ever.
And there was the Australian-born hair stylist Fadi Fawaz, who has been in a relationship with Michael for the last few years.
But in 2010 the London-born pop singer was seduced by the most unexpected of things: the city of Sydney.
Michael's whirlwind visit to Sydney in 2010 was planned like most: an airline ticket, a fast turnaround and one glittering moment on the stage at the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras after-party.
For those who remember it, it was a star-studded lineup: Michael, Kelly Rowland, David Guetta and Adam Lambert.
And like most Mardi Gras parties it was a celebration of freedom and hedonism, anthems which resonated powerfully with Michael's songwriting.
After a scheduled show in Melbourne on March 3 that year, Michael should have been on an aeroplane back to London, but instead the then-46-year-old singer decided to stay in Sydney.
![George Michael (R) with his then-boyfriend, Queensland-born Fadi Fawaz, in Sydney in 2012.](/web/20161228150500im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/x/t/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gthw6p.png/1482830638827.jpg)
Exactly what stole his heart is difficult to pin down: the late Sydney summer, the city's stunning harbour, its vibrant gay community or simply the opportunity to exchange his high-profile London life for something a little more ordinary and anonymous.
Reflecting on his subsequent visits to Sydney, it seems he indulged in them all.
![George Michael (in black, centre stage) at Sydney Mardi Gras, 2010.](/web/20161228150500im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/z/6/g/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gthw6p.png/1482761435113.jpg)
There were, of course, endless paparazzi shots and headlines in gossip columns about where he was, and who he was with. In London his circle of friends was a who's who of the famous and powerful; in Sydney he surrounded himself with a group of friends who were neither.
![George Michael impersonators for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival 2010 rehearse 28 historic years.](/web/20161228150500im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/w/n/c/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gthw6p.png/1482761435113.jpg)
There were also yacht cruises around Sydney harbour, where it seemed every man he was photographed with was a new "mystery man". And visits to the Queensland home of his partner Fadi Fawaz's family.
At one point he even exchanged his luxurious hotel for a serviced apartment and rented his own car; later he bought himself a holiday home – Palm Beach Villa – which is perched on Whale Beach and enjoys commanding views of the Barrenjoey Lighthouse.
![George Michael's home at 333 Whale Beach Road, Palm Beach.](/web/20161228150500im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/w/p/k/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gthw6p.png/1482761435113.jpg)
Most famously, however, he used the dating app Grindr to meet men.
It must have seemed almost surreal to switch on a phone dating app and see the face of a global superstar staring back at you. And with the pseudonym "Back for Wood" no less.
![George Michael had an ongoing love affair with Sydney where he owned a holiday home.](/web/20161228150500im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/u/l/r/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gthw6p.png/1482783068881.jpg)
But for Michael, there was almost something very ordinary about life in Sydney that made it appealing. In London he faced a paparazzi scrum daily, and seemed constantly to have to explain the various scandals which had, for a time, plagued his career.
The fabric of life in Sydney for the pop superstar was a stark contrast: long, quiet summers, a chance to live his life out and proud, and a wider community which seemed to embrace him without judgement.