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Childline to hold a star-studded tribute concert in honour of George Michael

Following George Michael’s tragic death on Christmas day, dozens of stories have come to light about how charitable and generous he was in secret.

Insisting that his private donations to a series of charities and individuals were not to be made public, the late singer helped the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with his fortune.

George secretly donated millions to Childline over the years.
George secretly donated millions to Childline over the years.

Now Childline founder, Dame Esther Rantzen, has revealed that she plans to organise a tribute concert in George’s honour to acknowledge his hefty donations over the years.

The concert will also tie in with Childline’s 30th anniversary.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Rantzen explained: “George helped us to reach out to hundreds of thousands of children through his generosity.

“I met him a couple of times, he approached us, rather than us going cap in hand to him, but it was an intensely personal gift.

Dame Esther wants to pay tribute to George's huge generosity.
Dame Esther wants to pay tribute to George’s huge generosity.

“He didn’t want it to be known or to be part of his image. I think it would be wonderful to celebrate him with a tribute concert next year.

“We were able to counsel 300,000 children who needed help last year, through emails, online and phone calls, and George made a palpable difference.”

Rantzen went on to admit that she had been planning to honour the star with a concert before news of his death broke, admitting that he was “determined” to keep his huge generosity private.

She continued: “For years now he has been the most extraordinarily generous philanthropist, giving money to Childline, but he was determined not to make his generosity public so no-one outside the charity knew how much he gave to the nation’s most vulnerable children.

Fans have been paying tribute to George.
Fans have been paying tribute to George.

“Over the years he gave us millions and we were planning next year, as part of our 30th anniversary celebrations to create, we hoped, a big concert in tribute to him – to his artistry, to his wonderful musicality but also to thank him for the 100s of 1,000s of children he helped through supporting Childline.”

We think that a tribute concert is a brilliant idea, and we’re sure that many stars would jump at the chance to perform on the night.