Friendship never ends

George was good friends with Geri Halliwell, who had been a big fan of is in the years before she rocketed to fame as Ginger Spice in the Spice Girls.

When she made a shock exit from the band in 1998, she sought refuge in George's Paris home and upon his death Geri - who lost her own father in the years before she became a pop star - recalled that George had been a father figure to her.

She said: "He was so sweet to me. I was so lost when I left that band. It was 100 percent my entire life. I was broken. It was like a divorce. It was too much to deal with too young and I felt vulnerable. But he was so kind and made me laugh. He was a mentor, father figure and friend."