Boy George has become embroiled in a new feud after claiming he was "uninvited" to the memorial of his late friend, fashion designer Pam Hogg, who died in November last year aged 74. The Culture Club singer, 65, took to social media to remember Hogg, sharing an image of the designer - who dressed the likes of Kate Moss, Beyonce, Debbie Harry and Princess Eugenie - and writing: "Remembering my friend Pam Hogg who is being celebrated today by friends. I was uninvited but I am there in spirit. God Bless you Pam."
George and Pam were friends for decades, having first met in the eighties at Covent Garden's Blitz club, where he worked the cloakroom before finding fame with Culture Club. They were present for huge milestones in each other's lives, with George sitting front row at many of her fashion shows and Pam attending events including his 50th birthday party. At the time of Pam's death last year, George shared his sadness and spoke of the designer's legacy: "I'm sad to learn of the death of Pam Hogg who was a true original and who knew absolutely everyone on the London fashion and art scene."
Fans were quick to comment on George's post. One wrote: "It's always sad when politics divide friends. Stay strong George, you don't need to be invited to a party in order to remember your friend." Another said: "That's low to uninvite you, I hope you can celebrate her on your own or with other good friends." A third added: "That is sad on so many levels. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend."
The singer did not say who had uninvited him or why, and no organiser of the memorial has publicly responded to his claim. The ambiguity has fuelled speculation among fans about a rift within Hogg's circle - and about George's sometimes fractious relationships within the London fashion and music scenes he has inhabited for four decades.
Boy George has never been shy about airing grievances publicly, and his post fits a pattern of candid, sometimes combative social media outbursts. Whether the "uninviting" was a deliberate snub or a misunderstanding remains unclear. What is certain is that the claim has overshadowed what was meant to be a celebration of Pam Hogg's life, turning a memorial into the latest episode in one of pop's most outspoken stars' ongoing public dramas.
Hogg was a singular figure in British fashion, a designer whose punk-inflected creations were worn by some of the most photographed women in the world. Her friendship with Boy George stretched back to the Blitz club days that launched the New Romantic movement, a scene that defined London nightlife in the early eighties. George's tribute - "I was uninvited but I am there in spirit" - suggests that whatever divided them, the bond of those formative years still matters to him.