When George Michael secretly donated £500,000 to AIDS charity

1 December 2021, 10:56 | Updated: 1 December 2021, 13:37

George Michael and other stars line up to meet Princess Diana at 1993 concert

George Michael sent hundreds of thousands of pounds to keep an HIV trust running in memory of his first love.

Project Angel Food has said that the late singer would often send them cheques to keep them afloat.

The Los Angeles-based charity was founded in 1989 to help people suffering from malnutrition and HIV.

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Richard Ayoub, executive director of Project Angel Food, told The Mirror: “We can’t thank him enough.

"He was so supportive and is the single largest donor in our history. He sent a $25k donation to us religiously every year to the tune of more than half a million dollars.

“His passion and love and support was felt here every single year.”

Richard explained that George Michael deliberately kept his contributions to the charity private to avoid any “fanfare”, and also donated his Mercedes to sell at auction.

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The executive also praised the singer’s fans for pledging their help to the cause, by covering some of the money they no longer receive.

George had donated to the charity every year since 1993, when he lost his boyfriend Anselmo Feleppa at the age of 36.

George described Anselmo as his “saviour” during the recent Channel 4 documentary Freedom, and said he was “the first time he loved someone selflessly”.

Since George's death on Christmas Day 2016, there have been various accounts of his generosity. Lynette Gillard received a secret £9,000 donation from him after she spoke of her desire for IVF treatment on Deal or No Deal.