George Michael died of natural causes, coroner says

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British singer George Michael performs at a concert in Paris in 2012 to raise money for an AIDS charity.

(Francois Mori / Associated Press)

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English singer and songwriter George Michael during the Japanese/Australasian leg of his “Faith World Tour” in February-March 1988.

(Michael Putland / Getty Images)

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Singer George Michael performs during his “Live Global Tour” concert in Inglewood in 2008.

(Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

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British singer George Michael performs during the closing ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

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Singer George Michael performs during his “Live Global Tour” concert in Inglewood in 2008.

(Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

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British pop singer George Michael performs during his 25 Live concert at the Wembley Stadium in London June 9, 2007.

(ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP/Getty Images)

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Pop stars George Michael (L) and Elton John (R) leave Westminster Abbey following the funeral service of Diana, Princess of Wales September 6, 1997.

(JOHNNY EGGITT / AFP/Getty Images)

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Accompanied by other musicians and children from Africa, British singer George Michael waves goodbye in the finale of the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London, in 2005.

(Lefteris Pitarakis / Associated Press)

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George Michael performs at “Concert of Hope” to mark World AIDS Day at London’s Wembley Arena December 2, 1993.

(Gill Allen / AP)

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Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, left, Italian showgirl Milly Carlucci and British singer George Michael perform at the Pavarotti and Friends International benefit concert for Tibetan and Cambodian children, in Modena, Italy, on June 6, 2000.

(Renato Ferrini / Associated Press)

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British singer George Michael at a photo call in central London in 1999 to promote a concert for refugees in Kosovo and Sudan.

(Alastair Grant / Associated Press)

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George Michael, left, and Stevie Wonder perform “Living for the City” at the “Fourth Annual VH1 Honors” in Universal City, Calif., in 1997.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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George Mitchel performs for the first time in about five years at the Commitment to Life Aids benefit concert in 1995.

(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

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George Michael of Wham, center-left, concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith, U2 lead singer Bono Vox, Paul McCartney and Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury perform during the Live Aid famine relief concert finale July 13, 1985 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

(JOE SCHABER / AP)

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British singers George Michael, right, and Lisa Stansfield perform together at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at London’s Wembley Arena in 1992.

(Gill Allen / Associated Press)

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George Michael is shown in this Sept. 6, 1997, file photo. The British pop singer has died at the age of 53.

(Peter De Jong / Associated Press)

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Singing great Aretha Franklin, right, joins George Michael during his Faith World Tour in Auburn Hills, Mich., in 1988.

(Robert Kozloff / Associated Press)

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George Michael, left, and Andrew Ridgely of the pop duo Wham! perform in Peking before a capacity audience of Chinese and foreign fans on April 7, 1985.

(Neal Ulevich / Associated Press)

By Associated Press

March 7, 2017 6:15 AM PT

Reporting from LONDON —

George Michael died of natural causes as the result of heart disease and a fatty liver, a coroner said Tuesday.

Darren Salter, senior coroner for the county of Oxfordshire in southern England, said a postmortem examination found that the singer died of “dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.”

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the left ventricle of the heart becomes stretched and weakened, limiting the heart’s ability to pump blood. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle.

The former Wham! singer-songwriter was found dead at his country home in Oxfordshire on Dec. 25. He was 53.

An initial autopsy failed to determine the cause of death.

Salter said that because Michael died of natural causes, there will be no coroner’s inquest or further inquiries.

Police initially investigated and took witness statements in order to establish the facts of Michael’s death, which they called “unexplained but non-suspicious.”

Wham!, formed by Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, topped the charts in the 1980s with exuberant pop hits including “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Young Guns (Go For It).” Michael went on to a solo career studded with hits including “Careless Whisper” and “Freedom” and sold more than 100 million albums around the world.

He also suffered problems with drugs and alcohol, and in 2010 was briefly jailed after crashing his car into a shop front near his London home.

Michael’s death prompted an outpouring of recognition for his musical gifts as well as his charitable work in support of anti-AIDS groups, cancer research charities and Childline, which offers confidential phone counseling for young people.

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UPDATES:

6:15 a.m.: This article was updated with details of Michael’s career and death.

This article was originally published at 5:10 a.m.