:00:20. > :00:22.In the last hour, the death has been announced of
:00:23. > :00:30.George Michael shot to fame in the 1980s as one half of the band
:00:31. > :00:34.Wham, and went on to have a hugely successful solo career.
:00:35. > :00:38.He's sold more than 80 million records worldwide.
:00:39. > :00:40.His publicist says he passed away peacefully at his
:00:41. > :01:03.He burst onto the scene in the early 1980s, when he formed Wham with
:01:04. > :01:08.Andrew Ridgeley. The duo at number one is around the world and even
:01:09. > :01:12.conquered China, the first western pop band to perform there. George
:01:13. > :01:18.Michael loved fame but never used to it. To be a part of peoples lives as
:01:19. > :01:26.an artist, that's what I dream of and grateful for. -- what I dream
:01:27. > :01:30.of, and I'm still grateful for. But, my God, I wish I could cope with the
:01:31. > :01:34.other stuff the way that other people do. I wish I had been born
:01:35. > :01:40.with that suit of armour, because I wasn't.
:01:41. > :01:45.# Not everybody has got a body like you
:01:46. > :01:50.# But I've got to think twice... As his career waned, he hit the
:01:51. > :01:54.headlines for other reasons, being stopped for a series of traffic
:01:55. > :01:57.offences, leading to a spell in jail. He was cautioned and fined for
:01:58. > :02:03.drug addiction and received treatment for addiction. --
:02:04. > :02:07.cautioned and fined for drug possession.
:02:08. > :02:12.# The careless whisper... In 2011 he suffered a
:02:13. > :02:16.life-threatening bout of pneumonia while he was on tour. Police said
:02:17. > :02:21.his death was unexplained but not suspicious. His family said he died
:02:22. > :02:29.peacefully at home, calling him a beloved son, brother and friend.
:02:30. > :02:33.David Sillitoe has joined me. What more do we know? Very few details.
:02:34. > :02:37.Police have said that ambulances were called to his home in
:02:38. > :02:43.Oxfordshire this afternoon. They confirmed he had died at the scene.
:02:44. > :02:47.They say they are treating it as unexplained but not suspicious. That
:02:48. > :02:52.is all we have heard so far about the cause of death. A great shock.
:02:53. > :02:58.You know, we only saw him a few months ago, looking pale and hearty.
:02:59. > :03:02.You've got to remember what an extraordinary figure he is. I was
:03:03. > :03:10.just thinking to myself that it's more than 30 years ago that he as a
:03:11. > :03:15.teenager was on Top Of The Pops with those songs, making me feel very
:03:16. > :03:18.old. For somebody who was one of these pop stars, seemingly one of
:03:19. > :03:23.those who would have two or three years, to have gone on to be the
:03:24. > :03:30.massive he was, 25 top ten singles, five number one albums... He was one
:03:31. > :03:36.of the great songwriters, not just a pop star. Very sad news. Found dead
:03:37. > :03:38.at his home in Oxfordshire this afternoon. George Michael, who died
:03:39. > :03:41.today at the age of 53. The Queen has missed
:03:42. > :03:43.the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham for the first time
:03:44. > :03:45.in nearly 30 years. Buckingham Palace says she's
:03:46. > :03:48.still recovering from a heavy cold. In her pre-recorded Christmas
:03:49. > :03:50.message, the Queen said she often draws strength from meeting ordinary
:03:51. > :03:57.people, doing extraordinary things. Our Royal Correspondent,
:03:58. > :04:01.Nicholas Witchell, reports. Christmas Day service
:04:02. > :04:02.at Sandringham church, While other members of her family
:04:03. > :04:09.including the Duke of Edinburgh attended, the Queen remained
:04:10. > :04:11.at Sandringham House, continuing to recover
:04:12. > :04:13.from what Buckingham Palace has As they left church
:04:14. > :04:18.after the service, The Queen's absence is understood
:04:19. > :04:22.to have been precautionary. Also absent from Sandringham this
:04:23. > :04:29.year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children,
:04:30. > :04:32.George and Charlotte. They attended church at Bucklebury,
:04:33. > :04:34.Berkshire, where they spent Christmas Day with the Duchess's
:04:35. > :04:37.family, the Middletons. Inspiration was the theme
:04:38. > :04:45.of this year's Christmas broadcast by the Queen,
:04:46. > :04:49.which was recorded at She cited the achievement of Olympic
:04:50. > :04:58.and Paralympic athletes, and she said she also found
:04:59. > :05:01.inspiration from daily life. I often draw strength from meeting
:05:02. > :05:03.ordinary people doing extraordinary things -
:05:04. > :05:07.volunteers, carers, community organisers
:05:08. > :05:11.and good neighbours, unsung heroes whose quiet
:05:12. > :05:18.dedication makes them special. She recalled that this had been
:05:19. > :05:20.the year of her 90th birthday and paid tribute to the inspiring
:05:21. > :05:23.work of charities with And she said much more
:05:24. > :05:28.could be achieved globally It's understandable
:05:29. > :05:33.that we sometimes think the world's problems are so big that we can do
:05:34. > :05:39.little to help. On our own, we cannot end wars
:05:40. > :05:44.or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact
:05:45. > :05:48.of thousands of small acts of goodness can be
:05:49. > :05:53.bigger than we imagine. Her own life, she said,
:05:54. > :05:55.had been guided by the inspiring Christ's example helps me see
:05:56. > :06:00.the value of doing small things with great love,
:06:01. > :06:05.whoever does them and whatever It was a broadcast by a monarch who,
:06:06. > :06:12.although unusually indisposed this Christmas, shows little sign
:06:13. > :06:17.of yielding to the passage of years. For the Queen this year,
:06:18. > :06:19.there has been that significant 90th birthday and some lightening
:06:20. > :06:24.of her workload, but there is no expectation whatsoever
:06:25. > :06:27.that she will step away from the core duties of her role
:06:28. > :06:32.as monarch and head of state. Nicholas Witchell, BBC News
:06:33. > :06:37.at Buckingham Palace. A major operation is under way
:06:38. > :06:40.after a Russian military plane with more than 90 people on board
:06:41. > :06:43.crashed into the Black Sea. Among the passengers were 64 members
:06:44. > :06:47.of Russia's renowned military choir, on their way to perform
:06:48. > :06:51.at a concert in Syria. So far, 11 bodies
:06:52. > :06:54.have been recovered. Our Moscow Correspondent,
:06:55. > :06:58.Steve Rosenberg, reports. This is one of the final images
:06:59. > :07:01.of the Tupolev 154 jet. It was taken by a journalist before
:07:02. > :07:05.he boarded the plane. The aircraft crashed
:07:06. > :07:11.into the Black Sea. The Russians scrambled
:07:12. > :07:13.helicopters and ships, but the search became
:07:14. > :07:17.a recovery operation. The plane had taken off from
:07:18. > :07:23.a military airfield near Moscow. It flew south, stopping
:07:24. > :07:27.in Sochi to refuel. The final destination was Syria,
:07:28. > :07:31.and Russia's airbase near Latakia. But minutes after leaving
:07:32. > :07:38.Sochi, it crashed. President Putin offered his
:07:39. > :07:41.condolences to the families of the victims and promised
:07:42. > :07:45.them his full support. On board were more than 60 members
:07:46. > :07:48.of the Russian army's famous song and dance ensemble,
:07:49. > :07:53.once known as the Red Army Choir. They had been due to give a concert
:07:54. > :07:58.at the Russian airbase in Syria. Most civilian airlines have stopped
:07:59. > :08:01.using the Tupolev 154, once the workhorse
:08:02. > :08:05.of the Russian aviation industry. In 2010, a Tupolev 154 carrying
:08:06. > :08:08.the Polish president crashed The following year,
:08:09. > :08:14.a similar plane caught fire Throughout the day, Muscovites
:08:15. > :08:21.brought flowers to the headquarters This disaster has left
:08:22. > :08:29.Russia stunned and silent. The Kremlin has promised a thorough
:08:30. > :08:33.investigation into this tragedy. It's also declared tomorrow a day
:08:34. > :08:36.of national mourning. The Archbishop of Canterbury,
:08:37. > :08:43.Justin Welby, says 2016 has left the world with more
:08:44. > :08:47.fear and division. He was speaking during his Christmas
:08:48. > :08:50.sermon at Canterbury Cathedral. Meanwhile, Pope Francis has called
:08:51. > :08:53.for an end to the fighting in Syria. Our Religious Affairs Correspondent,
:08:54. > :08:56.Martin Bashir, reports. Entering Canterbury Cathedral
:08:57. > :08:59.in time-honoured fashion, Justin Welby focused his
:09:00. > :09:01.Christmas Day sermon on the uncertainty and division that
:09:02. > :09:06.has marked both domestic and international politics
:09:07. > :09:09.over the last year. The end of 2016 finds us
:09:10. > :09:14.all in a different kind of world. One less predictable and certain,
:09:15. > :09:17.which feels more awash He went on to suggest
:09:18. > :09:24.that our anxiety is a clear sign that placing our trust in material
:09:25. > :09:29.prosperity has failed. The uncertainty of our world,
:09:30. > :09:33.of our feelings, tells us that our In Rome, where additional
:09:34. > :09:43.security was in place following the Berlin attack,
:09:44. > :09:46.Pope Francis focused on the plight of children,
:09:47. > :09:50.pleading with all parties to end TRANSLATION: It is time for weapons
:09:51. > :10:00.to be still forever, and the international community
:10:01. > :10:02.to actively seek So that civil coexistence can be
:10:03. > :10:12.restored in the country. Pope Francis concluded
:10:13. > :10:15.by appealing for Christians to stand out as people
:10:16. > :10:19.of compassion and self-sacrifice. That's all from the BBC
:10:20. > :10:30.News team this evening. From all of us, goodnight and enjoy
:10:31. > :10:35.the rest of the festive season.