What was George Michael's cause of death and what is fatty liver disease?
British singer George Michael performs during a concert in Amsterdam, 26 June 2007 (Picture: EVERT ELZINGA/AFP/Getty Images)

He would have turned 55 on June 25 and to mark his birthday weekend Channel 5 will air a new documentary about the life of George Michael this week.

The two-hour special tonight called The Double Life of George Michael looks deeply into the last years of the late singers life.

George passed away on Christmas Day in 2016.

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What was George Michael's cause of death and what is fatty liver disease?
Fans pay homage to George Michael outside his house at Highgate. Flowers, photos and letters have been put outside the entrance and even on his car, which was still parked in front of the house. (Picture: Alberto Pezzali/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

But what was the music icons cause of death?

A coroners report found that George was found to have died of natural causes related to heart disease and fatty liver.

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It did not suggest his body broke down due to excess drugs, and alcohol.

What is fatty liver disease?

Alcohol is the main contributor to causing fatty liver disease.

When alcohol is consumed to access the liver which is the bodys biggest organ – responsible for eliminating toxins – starts to form abnormal deposits of fat.

What was George Michael's cause of death and what is fatty liver disease?
George was found to have died from fatty liver disease (Picture: Getty Images)

This fat then causes scarring and the liver to become inflamed.

As the scarring grows, theres no healthy liver tissue left and your liver stops working and you will need a liver transplant.

However, alcohol is not the only culprit. Being overweight and consuming too much sugar and carbohydrates and not exercising causes liver diease.

Called Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, or NAFLD, its quickly becoming the number one disease on the liver transplant list.

What is scary is many sufferers dont know theyre afflicted as the liver shows no pain to say it is unwell.

However, there are steps you can take to prevent it from eating more vegetables, drinking less, reducing sugar intake and doing more exercise.

The programme will air on Thursday (June 21) at 9pm on Channel 5.

Following the documentary, a repeat of The Nations Favourite George Michael Song will be shown at 11.05pm.

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