George Michael’s Iconic “Faith” Guitar at Center of Family Dispute Over Auction

For Siobhan Bailey, she scored the job of a lifetime when she became the personal assistant to George Michael. Starting to work for the hitmaker during the early 1980s, she spent more than two decades at his side. Sadly, millions around the world mourned his passing in December 2016 at 53. Unlike fans, Bailey personally knew Michael. And throughout the years, she accumulated a vast collection of memorabilia that included his famous “Faith” guitar. But when Bailey passed away, her estranged husband placed the collection up for auction, causing criticism and a bidding war. 

While Michael passed away in 2016, Bailey died just two years earlier in 2014. At the time, she was navigating the process of divorcing Ian Belcher. But with the PA passing away before finalizing the divorce, Belcher remained her next of kin. And with that – he legally inherited the prized collection. 

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Collaborating with Sworders to auction some of the items, the sale included tour programs, letters, gold and platinum records, and the iconic “Faith” guitar. At the time of the auction, experts believed that the guitar would sell for around $160,000. A steep price for a piece of music history, but that didn’t stop potential buyers from placing a bid. In fact, when the sale was over, the guitar sold for a staggering $241,000. 

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The Controversy Surrounding George Michael’s Collection

Although fetching a historic price at auction, Bailey’s brother, Gerard, was not impressed. When hearing about the sale, Gerard tried to cancel the auction, citing that his sister never wanted the collection to go to Belcher. Instead, he insisted that she would want it passed down to her nieces and nephews. 

And to make it worse, Sworders used Bailey’s name to promote the auction. Writing a letter to Sworders, Gerard declared it was a “breach of her privacy” and “egregiously shameful” to use her name. He pushed the auction house to replace Bailey with Belcher. 

According to auctioneer Guy Schooling, Belcher decided to sell the items after finding them in a garage. Not wanting the collection to deteriorate over time, Belcher and Sworders hoped to preserve the historic collection for future generations. But preserving history came at a price.       

 (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)