Tom Chaplin suspects George Michael died of overdose

Tom Chaplin is convinced George Michael’s battle with drugs cost him his life.

The Wham! singer tragically died on Christmas Day last year at the age of just 53 and, although his cause death is still under investigation, the former Keane frontman – who has been to rehab twice in the past for cocaine addiction – thinks the late star’s behaviour in the lead up to his passing is similar to that of a drug addict.

Speaking to The Sun newspaper, he said: "I met George once. I don’t know the ins and outs of what happened to him but from the outside looking in – and I know he was very private – it looks like the behaviour of an addict to me. I recoginise it because it’s the kind of behaviour I would go through."

George had a well documented battle with drugs over the years and his cousin Andros Georgiou recently said he too suspects the singer died of an accidental overdose because he had returned to taking "hard drugs" towards the end of his life.

He said: "Hard drugs had been back in his life. I just think he took too much of something, mixed with antidepressants and other drugs he was on – with alcohol. I think his heart just stopped beating."

The investigation into the ‘Careless Whisper’ hitmaker’s death is still ongoing after the first post-mortem proved inconclusive. However, foul play has been ruled out.

George’s funeral is on hold until the coroner releases his body but all the details have been planned, including George’s burial attire.

The music icon’s former boyfriend Fadi Fawaz – who found his ex-lover’s body at his home in Oxfordshire over the festive season – has also been banned from the funeral.

Andros recently revealed: "Heaven help him if he turned up. Fadi has not been invited to the funeral. The family hate him."

Fadi – who dated the singer from 2012 until his death – had been interviewed by police on two occasions since George’s passing but is no longer part of investigations.