George Michael autopsy results inconclusive, UK police say

An autopsy on the body of pop star George Michael proved inconclusive and further tests will be needed, UK police said Friday.

The Grammy-award winning star, who was 53, was found dead at his home in Oxfordshire, England, on Christmas Day.

Thames Valley police, the local force, said a postmortem examination was carried out on Thursday, “The cause of death is inconclusive and further tests will now be carried out.,” the statement said. “The results of these tests are unlikely to be known for several weeks.”

In a statement shortly after his death, his manager Michael Lippman said he believed the singer suffered heart failure. His partner, Fadi Fawaz, said he found him dead in bed alone when he came to the house on December 24.

Thames Valley police said a file would be prepared for the Oxfordshire coroner.

Series of hits

Michael shot to fame in the 1980s as part of the duo Wham!

With signing partner Andrew Ridgeley, the pair had huge hits with “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” and “Careless Whisper.”

Their first album, “Fantastic,” topped the charts in 1983 with several hits, including “Young Guns,” “Wham Rap!” and “Club Tropicana.”

British pop star George Michael died on Sunday, December 25, 2016. The musician, who shot to fame with the 1980s duo Wham!, was 53 years old.

Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael of Wham! perform on stage in 1985. The duo met at Bushey Meads School, in 1976, according to Michael's website.

George Michael of Wham! performs at the Live Aid concert in London in 1985.

Michael and Ridgeley pose for a photo at the Great Wall of China in 1985, during Wham!'s historic visit as the first-ever Western pop band to perform in the communist country.

Michael blow-dries his hair while on Wham!'s 1985 world tour. The band made stops in the UK, Japan, Australia, and China.

Michael accepts Wham!'s award for favorite pop/rock band group at the American Music Awards in January 1986.

Wham! performs its final show in front of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium on June 28, 1986. Michael later went on to have a successful solo career.

Michael performs during his "Faith World Tour," his first as a solo artist, in 1988.

Michael at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.

George Michael, left, and Paul McCartney perform together at the "Live 8 London" concert on July 2, 2005 in London.

George Michael, left, with his partner Kenny Goss at a reception after the Japan premiere of his autobiographical movie "George Michael: A Different Story," in December 2005. In 1998, Michael told CNN in an exclusive interview that he was gay.

Singer George Michael, center, is surrounded by press and police on August 24, 2010 in London, after leaving a courthouse. Michael pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and possessing cannabis after he crashed his car into a photo processing shop in London the month before.

Michael gives a press conference announcing details for a new tour on May 11, 2011, at The Royal Opera House in London.

Michael performs at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Michael performs at a concert to raise money for AIDS charity Sidaction in Paris on September 9, 2012. He was considered by many a champion of the gay-rights movement.

George Michael

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Michael went on to a successful solo career; his 1987 debut album “Faith” sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

But he had a tumultuous professional and personal life In the early 1990s he was involved in a bitter battle with his record label Sony, which he claimed failed to market his album “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1” adequately.

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Related video George Michael comes out on CNN (1998)

In a 2005 interview with The Guardian, MIchael said he had suffered from depression after the death of partner Anselmo Feleppa, prompting him to smoke dozens of joints of cannabis a day.

Between 2006 and 2010 he was arrested at least four times for drug possession, and in 2007 he was banned from driving for two years after he was found slumped behind the wheel of his car.

Writing for CNN after his death, author Clay Cane said that Michael was “more than a pop star with a godlike voice” and that he “paved the way for artists to live as their authentic self in a manufactured music industry.”

Pop legend Elton John wrote that he had “lost a beloved friend” and described him as a “most generous soul and a brilliant artist.”