The Royal Mint has unveiled a new collectable coin featuring the late pop star George Michael.
Michael, who grew up in Hertfordshire, formed Wham! with fellow Bushey Meads School pupil Andrew Ridgeley. The collectable features a headshot of Michael wearing his trademark sunglasses and an engraving of the refrain from his song Faith.
The colours black and red feature on part of the coin, as they were used prominently throughout his career. George Michael Entertainment said it was “deeply honoured” by the tribute from the Royal Mint.
It added that the singer would have been “enormously proud and genuinely touched that a national institution should have decided to pay tribute to his memory in this way”.
In December, the band's song Last Christmas reached number one in the UK singles chart, 39 years after it was first released. Sandra Deiana, the coin's designer, explained she wanted “a detailed portrait that captured his charismatic expression. I was particularly thinking of his iconic sunglasses”.
The coin will be the latest addition to the Royal Mint's Music Legends series, which has featured artists such as David Bowie, Elton John and Queen.
He said: “I think it's fantastic, something memorable for us all to keep, and the recognition from Royal Mint is awesome.”
— CutC by bbc.com
