George Michael was a complicated man, and an extremely kind one. He made the biggest (private) donation to charity when I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro back in 2001 along with David Furnish and Johnny Bergius, then trustee of the Elton John Aids Foundation. We raised over £350,000. Many of our guides and porters have since died of the disease. During his life, George gave away millions to charities close to his heart, and as a gay man, his support for Aids victims was unwavering.

But years after his death, his legacy remains controversial. His family and close friends have had a very public spat with the estranged husband of the singer’s loyal PA, Siobhan Bailey, who was at George’s side for 20 years. Ms Bailey died unexpectedly of natural causes in 2014 and she did not leave a will. Her husband (they were in the process of divorcing at the time) Ian Belcher has now put up for auction a large collection of George Michael and Wham! memorabilia that Siobhan had treasured. It included the guitar used by George during the tour – which went for £180,000 alone, one of more than 30 items including gold discs, signed photos and private letters. The sale fetched £238,000 overall.

Siobhan’s brother says it’s not what his sister would have wanted it, calling it “wholly unethical, dishonourable” and a “breach of privacy”. But there is little they can do. Legally, Mr Belcher is perfectly entitled to sell his former wife’s cherished possessions. What would George have thought about this dash for cash for scraps of paper, tour itineraries, concert tickets and backstage snaps? I have crates of this stuff at home, but I would never flog it.

But once you’ve died, does it really matter who owns what? Apart from the guitar, it’s just paper memories and memorabilia, which devoted fans are bound to snap up. George had a close circle of friends and guarded his privacy fiercely. Who can blame him – it took him years to own his sexuality publicly and even then he was so worried about upsetting his family, especially his mother.

We would meet at parties and he’d say, “I’m not telling you anything Janet” (with a big laugh) after he once casually revealed he slept in black sheets… which (of course) I immediately recounted to close friends. In 1993, our paths crossed for the cause closest to his heart. I was a BBC executive and producer of the Concert of Hope, which was George’s idea. It was a big event at Wembley Arena, attended by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, raising money for Aids charities, aimed at destigmatising a disease which was killing thousands in the UK, and many more across the world.

David Bowie compered and Mick Hucknall and kd lang contributed great sets. George performed six songs, but before the concert could be aired on the BBC, he had the footage of his segment recut because he wasn’t happy with how he looked dancing. Honestly, he could be a nightmare, but I would expect no less from a brilliant perfectionist.

In June 1998, David Furnish, Patrick Cox, Paul O’Grady and I went to George’s 35th birthday at a restaurant in South Kensington dressed as cowboys and angels. It was less than three months since he’d been arrested in a public toilet in Los Angeles and charged with lewd behaviour. George claimed the officer had “entrapped” him, but pleaded no contest in court and was fined $810. The incident led him to announce he was gay and own his sexuality publicly and without shame, and the angels and cowboys party was another step down the road on that journey.

I don’t think George Michael would have been bothered about the selling off of his memorabilia. When you’re dead, you’re dead. He gave so much during his life and left millions to charity in his will. What’s a guitar, even if it’s a good one? The lesson to learn from this sad episode is that it’s never too late to write down what you want to happen to your possessions when you head off to that great departure lounge in the sky.

I recently completed the fourth version of my will. I got married for the fifth time last January and lawyers tell me my old one is out of date. It’s important that my husband is looked after, but after he goes, I’m not that bothered about what happens. I don’t want any money wasted on a mawkish funeral – just boil or burn me, and toss the remains to the easterly winds.

I want people to celebrate my life in a better way. I have set aside a decent sum of money for a party and will leave the guest list attached to my will. As for those boxes of concert tickets and backstage passes – they can go to whoever wants them and will contribute to charity.

I am leaving a detailed list, however, of who gets which designer handbag.