this is bbc news. the headlines at 11pm: the queen pays tribute to unsung heroes who do small acts of goodness in her christmas message. i often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things. volunteers, carers, community organisers and good neighbours. but she's forced to miss the christmas day church service at sandringham because of a heavy cold. 11 bodies have been recovered from the black sea after a russian military plane crashes, killing all 92 people on board. also in the next hour, in his christmas day sermon the archbishop of canterbury says the last year has left the world awash with division and fear. pope francis calls for a new effort for peace between israel and the palestinians at his christmas mass from the vatican. and carrie fisher's mother, the actress debbie reynolds, says her daughter's in a stable condition in hospital.

in the past few minutes, thames valley police have confirmed the death of the singer george michael. his publicist said he passed away peacefully at home. the singer, who was 53, launched his career with wham in the 1980s and continued his success as a solo performer. south central ambulance service attended his home in goring in south oxfordshire. police say there were no suspicious circumstances. he was 53 and as many people will know he had launched his career with wham along with andrew ridgeley in the 19805 along with andrew ridgeley in the 1980s and went on to even greater success as a solo

1980s and went on to even greater success as a solo performer. he's often spoken quite widely of his relationship, rather difficult relationship, rather difficult relationship, with his father, saying he had to fight his demons. well we can speak now on the phone to the music critic for the daily telegraph, neil mccormick. hello, neil. hello. goodness, what news for christmas day! it is very shocking news. he was one of the great superstars of british popular music, certainly of the 80s and 90s, incredible talent. i'm shocked by this news although i've heard some rumours that he wasn't well. when you say not well... somebody said to mea you say not well... somebody said to me a few weeks ago that george michael's not well, but that's the extent of everything i had heard. i heard he was back in the studio and

heard he was back in the studio and he was recording material and he had the intention to release music next year, so i don't know where you put all this. i'm really shocked by the news and i'm sure we all are. you mentioned he had his demons, he had all sorts of struggles with lifestyle, with issues with dealing with people, all kinds of things, but when you met him he always seemed a very together person, very strong idea of who he was in the world and very gracious in the way he dealt with people, a really charming man as well as an incredibly talented one. he did say as he got older and he dealt with his sexuality, that's when he really came into his own and became happier with his life. yes. it's almost forgotten now how difficult it can be to be a daily star. he was a

closeted star at first. —— a gay star. he was a big hit to sexual icon with this secret and when he came out of the closet he really came out of the closet he really came out of the closet and became a champion of gay rights and was very strong about presenting his sexuality. but underpinning that he was an incredible talent, he was such a great singer in a style that the british pop music wasn't quite used to at the time. he sang with the soulfulness of an american singer and he was a really great songwriter. his songs lasted and they sold by the tens of millions. last christmas, how many times have we last christmas, how many times have we heard that over this period? an amazing talent. talking about his talent, he's often spoken about ways we i’e talent, he's often spoken about ways were where it was his dad that urged him on because he said he had no

talent and from then on he was battling that idea that he didn't have the talent. but my goodness, as you said there, the hits that george michael presented to the world... bruce springsteen said recently on desert island disks that a lot of rock ‘n‘ roll is men going," daddy! n rock ‘n‘ roll is men going," daddy! issues with your parents are what drive you to prove them wrong, drive you into an empty space, whatever drove george he became an incredible p0p drove george he became an incredible pop success in the 80s and then with each new album and new phase he showed further depth and revealed that his talent was more than just a frivolous pop talent stoppila sunzu without prejudice was a huge album.

—— listen without praisejo prejudiced. he was a phenomenal talent. he's one of the global superstars of our times. he hasn't produced that much music recently in the last couple of decades. but whenever he had it's been very big news artistically as well as commercially. you say he hasn't produced much music, what will his musical legacy be? in the 80s he was pa rt musical legacy be? in the 80s he was part of a british wave, a second british invasion of america that took a shiny pop music into the hearts of america and he was a superstar because he was one of the british people like adele who really conquered the american market. he's a superstar in america as well as here. he brought a kind of sense of soulful substance to pop music. he

made pop music that wasn't frivolous andi made pop music that wasn't frivolous and i think that is his legacy kind of. this is pop music that adults could listen to as well. the tributes are now coming in via twitter, ricky gervais is has tweeted: unbelievable, rest in peace, george michael. he himself admitted as he got older that he's suffered from new roses, he got very paranoid. what was his relationship with the media like for example? -- new rousey is. when you met him he was vei’y new rousey is. when you met him he was very charming and intelligent, he obviously felt persecuted by the media to some extent because of his sexuality and then he felt persecuted when he came out and embraced his sexuality. he struggled with things in his personal life that he would have rather kept

private. obviously he had his demons. he smoked a lot of dope at one stage in his life, way too much, he acknowledged that and he got into loads of embarrassing shenanigans. but he stood up to it and embraced it. i only met him a couple of times, i was really impressed with him asa times, i was really impressed with him as a person. within himself he had his own weaknesses as well as his strengths, he knew he was in a strange position but he kind of embraced it. he was very open about the amount of marijuana that he did smoke. but at 2! george michael already had this incredible success with wham with his best friend, andrew originally. how did he cope with that at such a young age back then? george michael in the 80s was living a double life so that was

difficult in the first place. there we i’e difficult in the first place. there were all kinds of stories about him being gay. in the 80s i knew he was 93v, being gay. in the 80s i knew he was 93)’, | being gay. in the 80s i knew he was gay, i was with a guy around the music scene but he was being presented as a heterosexual man. i think he struggled with the whole notion of being in the spotlight, it was something he wanted, it's the goal that you go for but then you're kind of very exposed. he had a lot of trouble in his life. he had a partner who he loved who died of aids. that's an awful lot to go through. but those kinds of struggles... that's what informs your music, that's what gave him depth and sold in what he did but he did struggle with it. he also acknowledged he struggled with it, he talked very candidly. once he got hold of it and said he's going to come out and be honest, he was an incredibly honest pop star. he really stood up and dealt with it in

his music and interviews and he was a very candid person within the world. he once said that he created this character george michael in the image of a friend. the insured that this image, this george michael he created, would be someone the world would love. what was the george michael that we didn't see?” would love. what was the george michael that we didn't see? i think that somebody who had in securities, because that is really at the root of most performers. somebody who had a lot of doubts about how talented they really were, somebody who felt vulnerable. it's a common thread through so much of show business, through so much of show business, through popular music, if you don't have those in securities, if you don't have those doubts, you

wouldn't have access to the feelings that go into the music. but he clearly was a man who had a lot of questions for himself that he was asking in private all the time. do we asking in private all the time. do we know where he was in his private life? obviously you mentioned that this was his first very serious relationship and then i think he was with fardy fawaz. was he happy in his personal life? of i don't know much about his personal life. he had serious relationships. recently he has disappeared off the horizon. in that respect there haven't been many stories about him in the public. there was the situation with elton john reaching out to him a few years

back and suggesting that george was troubled and needed help and george denying that and pooh—poohing that. but he has been quite invisible for a few years, who knows what he's been struggling with in terms of health. somebody said to me he wasn't in good health about two weeks ago so we know things were going on that we don't know about yet. in your mind where did george michael's true strengths lie? was he oui’ michael's true strengths lie? was he our assist, a performer, a singer? —— was he a lyricist. i think he was a producer, he produced his own music, he had great depth. i think his talent covered a number of areas that you alluded to because he was a really great singer. he wrote his own material that suited his personality and it was very distinctive. you knew it was a george michael record when you heard

it. the highest level of talent. he was a singer songwriter with production ability and amazing voice. that's pretty much hitting it on all levels and he was a great live performer. he was a superstar. he hit pop music very hard at every level. he disappeared for five years when he said he had had enough. he then came back and he was very excited and he hoped people would forget about him but if anything he remained in the public‘s mind. forget about him but if anything he remained in the public's mind. you can't have the level of success that he had and disappear. he had the highest possible level of success in the early nineties. there's always going to be interest in whatever he

did. you can't come out and do it quietly after that. what he did was really good. even an album cover version which he did, they were powerful, they were emotional, they we i’e powerful, they were emotional, they were deeply felt. there's no hiding once you've had that level of success. once you've had that level of success. i'm not going to say he was oui’ success. i'm not going to say he was our michaeljackson but in british terms he certainly hit that level of success. terms he certainly hit that level of success. what is your best song or best album that really is your favourite? i think listen without prejudice is a great album. from the title on it said i want you to listen to what i'm doing and not just treat it as frivolous pop music. the sound of that is at salute the lush. it is a lush,

detailed and deep sound and the songs have flowing melodies. the lyrics are interesting and that is a high—level album that pulls together high—quality singer songwriting and amazing pop craft. he has worked with some greats, hasn't he? aretha franklin. people wanted to work with him purely on a simple level because he's a great singer and he can hold his own. and that great singing, which has become more common in british popular music since the dawning of the x factor and those competitions, but it wasn't very common competitions, but it wasn't very common in the 1980s. a lot of british lenders were awed but george could really hold his own with the great american gospel singers. what we

we had a few health scares. in vienna in 2011, he was treated for an ammonia so there may have already been a week is there? how you like to remember george michael?” been a week is there? how you like to remember george michael? i think he was... he was a great start of his moment. he tried to make pop music that transcended pop and, at his best, he really succeeded. he was a charismatic, hugely talented singer songwriter and that will stand up. with all the terrible losses we have had this year, one good thing about a record, it is a

recording of a moment. dilma cole, is it critic for the telegraph, thank you for your time. george michael has died at the age of 53. a reminder that if you have just joined us, within the past half—hour, thames valley police have confirmed the death of singer george michael. south—central ambulances service attended his home and police are reporting that there are no suspicious circumstances. he was 53 and launched his career with wham in the 1980s before going on to even greater success as a the 1980s before going on to even greater success 3s a solo performer. terry walker, the singer—songwriter is on the line. what do you think of

this news? it is a crazy. me and there like young kids were just singing some of his christmas songs. they are for years old and new that song. to hear this news, it is crazy to me. what does george michael min to me. what does george michael min to you? he is a pioneer. he opened doors for many people. me being younger, influenced by him singing with aretha franklin, and him being british, big with someone who was there before was a real liberation. a great singer, songwriter. you are

and r&b songwriter and discover some of the influences, r&b, pop, that george michael had. hello? sorry... you say it was quite an influence? he showed there are no boundaries. he showed there are no boundaries. he had a black and white backing singer even back in the day with wham and you pay attention. he was really soulful. it is crazy, isn't it? he was so young. he also had a side to him that into the social conscience as well, where you aware

of that? no, no. i remember him as a legend from wham. every christmas you hear, last christmas. he outed himself, obviously... spectacularly. laughter but him and saying, you know what, and i am not going to sweat but i do care what you think. what was your favourite song? when he did a cover of stink... triple gold, last christmas. back when i was younger, before i knew he

was gay, i fancied when i was younger, before i knew he was gay, ifancied him. to me i didn't see that he was gay at that time. he was amazing. he spoke about it quite widely that he suffered with depression. do you think that endeared him to his fans and the public because he put his heart out there? i think so. a lot of people hide themselves away. somebody people against through it and he helped other people. i think when people do not talk about it, that is the problem. you do need talk about it. what did you think when he

disappeared, he removed himself from the public eye for six years? being the public eye for six years? being the kind of person that he is, being himself, being true to yourself, it could have driven in bad. —— him at man. “— could have driven in bad. —— him at man. —— mad. iam hoping that in could have driven in bad. —— him at man. —— mad. i am hoping that in the last few years he has been an ugly place. just letting people know if they have just joined bbc place. just letting people know if they have justjoined bbc news, police have said there are no suspicious circumstance is as it stands. he was 53 when he passed away and it was thames valley police confirmed the death of george michael. my final thought,

confirmed the death of george michael. my finalthought, he confirmed the death of george michael. my final thought, he was a legend, he inspired me and i hope that kids go back and look at his legacy. amazing, amazing guy. george michael, legend. terry walker, thank you very much. singer and songwriter. let's have a look at some of the reactions that have come in online. members of the public, his fans have

also been tweeting at the disbelief that george michael has passed away at the age of 53. what do we know? in the last 45 minutes thames valley police have confirmed that george michael passed away. the central ambulance service attended his home in oxfordshire in goring, at lunchtime today and police are saying there are no suspicious circumstances. he was 53. well—known for his career as the duo with andrew ridgeley in the pop group wham during the late 1980s and later continued his success as a solo performer. platinum albums at a very young age, in fact, at 21, he spoke about being a pop star in the early

20s and having to live with that. thames valley police confirming the death of george michael today. south—central ambulance service attended his home in goring on thames in oxfordshire and police say there are no suspicious circumstances. he began his career with wham in the 1980s and later continuing his success as a solo performer. there have been many tweets coming in via twitter. one of those coming in from british a base —— ricky. a dreadful year goes on and on. so sad. a real talent. from

western life, brian mcfadden said he could not believe it. this confirmation of his death also coming from his publicist. he said it is with great sadness that that we can it is with great sadness that that we can confirm our beloved son, rather than the sun, george, passed away peacefully at home over the christmas period. there had been unconfirmed reports that he had been u nwell unconfirmed reports that he had been unwell in the last few weeks stop more on this, of course, on the bbc channel. stay tuned but for now we are going to find out how the weather is. if you want to get all details on the news that george michael has passed away do stay tuned. christmas day was the mildest in the last 100 years. boxing day? christmas day was the mildest in the

last100 years. boxing day? it christmas day was the mildest in the last 100 years. boxing day? it is going to be a little bit colder but sunshine on the way. the winds will be stronger across northern parts on the way thanks to storm konta passing through the north of the uk sending gales to the north—west of scotland. behind the cold front, we get the colder antarctic air. there are skies for a time for before it clears away from the south but very windy from the pennines northwards but especially across scotland. very early on boxing day, temperatures not far off freezing in the north. still the remnants of milder weather in the south. this is storm konta still the remnants of milder weather in the south. this is sto skies. ta sunshine and clear blue skies. tuesday morning will be frosty. a touch of frost across england and wales. this will be driving at the weather for most of the week up to

new year. colder. across parts of northern england six degrees. wednesday morning will also be fairly frosty across parts of england and wales. not in the far north—west. a touch milder there. but, with a high pressure, the chilly nights, it into that could be some fog forming in the coming days so some fog forming in the coming days so rather than the gales, watch out for early morning fog. hello good evening. in the last hour, the death has been announced of the singer george michael. he was 53. george michael shot to fame in the 1980s as half of the band wham, and went on to have a hugely successful solo career. he sold more than 80 million records worldwide. his publicist says he passed away peacefully at his home this afternoon. andy moore reports. he scsnsin ' '

19805 he scsnsin ' ' 1980s he he scsnsin ' ' 1980s - he formed “a" had singles the. world , 17, ilifii‘first 7 , , ~ itbut rs gibecamezsé‘f * '*' ” ..-,.. itbut rs gibecameazé‘ to -, fl ~~~ be é but rs sgteeameg to — be obviously lfflaeeameg to — be obviously a meg to — be obviously a part meg to — be obviously a part of neg to — it. to be obviously a part of people's lives as an artist, that's what i dream job and that's what i'm dream golf. still gratefulfor. -- dream golf. but my god i wish i could cope with the other stuff, the way other people do. i wish i'd been born with that particular suit of armour, you know, because i wasn't. as his career waned, he hit the headlines for other reasons. he was stopped for a series of traffic offences leading to a spell in jail.

he was cautioned and fined for drug possession and received treatment for addiction. in 2011, he suffered a life—threatening bout of pneumonia while on tour in austria. police said his death was unexplained but not suspicious. his family said he had died peacefully at home. they called him a beloved son, brother and friend. our arts correspondent david sillito is here. what more do we know? very few details. police say that the ambulance was called to their home in oxfordshire this afternoon. they confirmed he died at the scene. they say they are treating it as unexplained but not suspicious. that's all we've heard so far about the cause of death. a great shock. we only saw him a few months ago

looking hearty and healthy. you've got to remember of course what an extraordinary figure he is. i was just thinking that it's more than 30 yea rs just thinking that it's more than 30 years ago he was just thinking that it's more than 30 years ago he was a just thinking that it's more than 30 years ago he was a teenager on top of the pops with wham and kattegat wa ke of the pops with wham and kattegat wake me up before you go go. he was a p0p wake me up before you go go. he was a pop star that had a two or three year career and then he went on to be the songwriter and the massive success be the songwriter and the massive success he was, 25 top ten singles, five number one albums, he's one of the great songwriters, notjust five number one albums, he's one of the great songwriters, not just a popstar. very sad news, found dead at his home in oxfordshire this afternoon. david sillito, thank you very much. george michael, who has died today at the age of 53. the queen has missed the christmas day church service at sandringham for the first time in nearly 30 years. buckingham palace says she's still recovering from a heavy cold. in her pre—recorded christmas message, the queen said she often draws strength from meeting ordinary people, doing extraordinary things.

our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, reports. christmas day service at sandringham church, but this year without the queen. while other members of her family, including the duke of edinburgh, attended, the queen remained at sandringham house, continuing to recover from what buckingham palace has described as a heavy cold. as they left church after the service, the family appeared relaxed. the queen's absence is understood to have been precautionary and there's no sense of undue concern. also absent from sandringham this year, the duke and duchess of cambridge and their children, george and charlotte. they attended church at bucklebury in berkshire where they've spent christmas day with the duchess's family, the middletons. inspiration was the theme of this year's

christmas broadcast by the queen, which was recorded at buckingham palace some days ago. she cited the achievements of olympic and paralympic athletes achievements of olympic and pa ralympic athletes and achievements of olympic and paralympic athletes and she said she also found inspiration from daily life. i often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things. volunteers, carers, community organisers and good neighbours. unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special. she recalled that this had been the year of her 90th birthday and paid tribute to the inspiring work of charities with which she's been lllll- ll .,_.. llll- llll — associated. lllll- ll l-l llll llll — associated. she. , ,. lllll- ll l-l llll llll — associated. she said lllll- ll l-l llll llll . associated. é said much = lllll- ll l-l llll llll . associated. é said much more lllll- ll l-l llll llll l associatl achieved 2 said much more lllll- ll l-l llll llll l associatl achieved 2 said r byh more it's understandable with others. it's understandable that we sometimes think the world's problems are so big that we can do little to help. narrowing we cannot end wars or wipe—out injustice, but the humility of impact of thousands

of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagined —— on our own. her own life, she said, had been guided by the inspiring message of christianity. christ's example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe. it was a broadcast by a monarch who, although unusually indisposed this christmas, shows little sign of yielding to the passage of years. for the queen this year there's been that significant 90th birthday and some lightning of her workload but there's no expectation whatsoever that she will step away from the core duties of her role as monarch and head of state. nicholas witchell, bbc news, at buckingham palace. a major operation is under way after a russian military plane with more than 90 people on board crashed into the black sea. among the passengers were 64 members of russia's renowned military choir on their way to perform at a concert in syria.

so far 11 bodies have been recovered. our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. this is one of the final images of the jet. it was taken by a journalist before he boarded the plane. the flight would end in tragedy. the aircraft crashed into the black sea. the russians scrambled helicopters and ships, but the search became a recovery operation. there were no survivors. the plane had taken off from a military airfield near moscow. it flew south, stopping in sochi to refuel. the final destination was syria and russia's airbase near latakia but minutes after leaving sochi it crashed. president putin offered his condolences to the families of the victims and promised them his full support. on board were more than 60 members of the russian

army's famous song and dance ensemble once known as the red army choir. they had been due to give a concert at the russian airbase in syria. most of million airlines have stopped using thejet, once syria. most of million airlines have stopped using the jet, once the workhorse of the russian aviation industry. in 2010 the tu—154, carrying the polish president, crashed in russia while trying to land. the following year a similar plane caught fire in siberia before takeoff. throughout the day muscovites brought flowers to the headquarters of the russian army choir. this disaster has left russia stunned and silent. the kremlin has promised a thorough investigation into this tragedy. it's also declared tomorrow a day of national mourning. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, says 2016 has left the world with more fear and division. he was speaking during his christmas

sermon at canterbury cathedral. meanwhile, pope francis has called for an end to the fighting in syria. our eeligious affairs correspondent martin bashir reports entering canterbury cathedral in time—honoured fashion, justin welby focused his christmas day sermon on the uncertainty and division that has marked both domestic and international politics over the last year. the end of 2016 finds us all ina year. the end of 2016 finds us all in a different kind of world, one less predictable and certain, which feels more awash with fear and division. he went on to suggest that our anxiety is a clear sign that placing our trust in material prosperity has failed. the uncertainty of our world, of our feelings tells us that our values are in the wrong place. in rome, where additional security was in place following the berlin attack,

pope francis focused on the plight of children. pleading with all parties to end the conflict in syria. translation: it is time for weapons to be still for ever and the international community to actively seek a negotiated solution so that civil coexistence can be restored in the country. pope francis concluded by appealing for christians to stand out as people of compassion and self—sacrifice. martin bashir, bbc news. that's all from the bbc news team this evening. from all of us, good night and enjoy the rest of the festive season. hello and a very good evening,

you're still watching bbc news. we will stay with that news that has emerged just in the last hour here tonight, the news that the singer george michael has died. he was 53. a statement came from his publicist just in the last hour saying that george michael had died peacefully at his home earlier today. thames valley police saying that the death is not being treated as suspicious. george michael, hard to overstate just what an extraordinarily successful career he had, beginning here with wham alongside andrew ridgeley in the 1980s and going on of course to have an immensely successful solo career. our arts correspondent david sillitoe is with me. as we look at these pictures,

david, just a thought about that career. he has been around for so long with such enormous success. 35 yea rs long with such enormous success. 35 years since he got started aged 16. he was so young when i first remember seeing him as a teenager myself on top of the pops doing wham rap and then after that you have songs like careless whisper and they we i’e songs like careless whisper and they were being written by this young man from north london. from the greek community, a greek cypriots from north london. he was a great, great songwriter. when wham came to an end, many people thought that was going to be it, they've had their moment in the sun and then he went on to sell 100 million albums. there are vei’y on to sell 100 million albums. there are very few artists in that

category who started so young, had such a natural ability for writing great pop songs. any of us who've been shopping over the last few days, how many times have we heard last christmas, it's still there all these years later. very sad news. what we know is the police, the ambulance were called to his home, goring on thames this afternoon. they said he was dead, found dead at the scene. the death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious. a postmortem now will ta ke suspicious. a postmortem now will take place. he has had health problems in the past. five years ago i believe he was suffering from pneumonia. i remember seeing him coming out of hospital saying it will be touch and

go. many people thought he was close to death at that point but he made a