"Laaaaaaast Christmas, I gave you ..." Stop! That should be enough to make it catchy. Hardly any other song gets stuck in your ears as surely and consistently as this Christmas classic by Wham! and its creator George Michael when you hear the first words. It will be heard countless times in the coming days and weeks, off-key voices will sing along in kitchens across the country, and some will complain in annoyance about their "bleeding ears."

But none of this disguises the huge success of this hit. But how big exactly? After George Michael's death on December 25, 2016, his heirs are now profiting significantly from the revenue from the Christmas classic. According to estimates by industry experts, "Last Christmas" has brought in more than 360 million euros since its release in 1984.

This is based on a simple calculation: every year the song generated around nine million euros for the British musician. This year it celebrates its 40th anniversary. That's how this gigantic total comes about.

How royalties are calculated

In Germany, "Last Christmas" generated considerable revenue from CD sales and downloads alone. Since 1996, the hit has been in the German charts every year, often in the top 30, and is now the fourth most successful song in the all-time charts since 1953. As a composer, George Michael earned around 15 percent of every record sold. He also received around ten euros for every broadcast on television by public broadcasters.

For radio stations and CD sellers, this means that under current copyright law, they will have to pay royalties for "Last Christmas" until Christmas 2086. This is because the regulation states that the work only becomes public property 70 years after the death of the author.

After George Michael's death: Confusion about inheritance

Interestingly, George Michael has no biological children and therefore it was never entirely clear who his heirs would be. For a long time, there was speculation that Michael's godchildren, charities and his life partner Fadi Fawaz could possibly benefit. In 2019, a court case in Great Britain revealed that the majority of Michael's fortune, including his two properties in London , was inherited by his sisters Yioda and Melanie.

His father received a horse breeding farm, and seven other relatives and close friends are also included in Michael's will , including Shirlie Kemp, who had worked as a backing singer for George Michael's former band Wham!, and David Austin, a music producer and close friend of the singer.

George Michael was the only son and youngest of three children. His father, Kyriacos "Jack" Panayiotou (1935–2014), was a Greek Cypriot restaurant owner who emigrated to England from Patriki, Cyprus in the 1950s.