Geri Horner thinks there should be a plaque put up in London in honour of George Michael.
The former Spice Girls member was close friends with the late music legend, who tragically died at the age of just 53 last Christmas Day (25.12.16), and she is delighted that his fans want to have a permanent tribute to him in Highgate, north London, where he lived.
However, Geri can understand why residents don’t want a permanent statue erected in the area and are growing tired of the seemingly endless floral tributes left for him and so has come up with another way to remember her pal.
Appearing live on ‘This Morning’ on Wednesday (20.12.17) from her Oxfordshire home, the 45-year-old star said: "Well what I do know is George loved his fans and he really cared about his fans, so I really hear that they want to celebrate him and rejoice in him (with a shrine). But equally you’ve got to respect the family and he cared about his neighbours and he liked to keep things simple. So perhaps there is a compromise of pleasing everybody, and my suggestion is let’s talk about him, let’s celebrate him through his music. If there is something to be done, possibly look at Abbey Road Studios, or a studio in north London, maybe a plaque … something simple and understated. I think he’d be very flattered but we do need to respect the family’s wishes."
When a super-fan of the one-time Wham! star suggested on ‘This Morning’ that a George Michael foundation should be set-up to support young artists, Geri agreed.
She added: "Yeah, there’s so many ways we want to keep their spirit alive, and there’s so many ways to do that. What we’re doing now, talking about it, we’re going to play his music, there’s lots of ways of remembering him but equally respecting who he was as a person. I think there are many options to look at."
Geri decided to name her son after George in honour of her late pal.
The ‘2 Become 1’ hitmaker and her husband Christian Horner welcomed their first child together into the world on January 21 and decided to give him the moniker Montague George Hector Horner, with his middle title a tribute to the ‘Careless Whisper’ singer
Former Ginger Spice Geri also has an 11-year-old daughter Bluebell from a previous relationship.