It is always nice to see a community come together for each other, but coming together to remember someone who has died is quite emotional.

This week the world mourns the loss of three celebrities – Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, her mother Debbie Reynolds and of course Bushey’s own George Michael.

Despite moving away to London and also a home in Oxfordshire where he was found dead on Christmas Day, the Bushey community did not forget George Michael, his songs or the work he has done.

Lighting candles in his memory and placing flowers outside Bushey Meads School, which he attended as a teenager, was just one act the people of Bushey carried out to remember possibly the village’s most famous son.

A handful of people from the area will have fond memories of the pop star growing up and a few more even will remember watching his first gigs – the first of which was at his former Scout hut.

Some may have known him personally, and known of the struggles that he sometimes articulated in his songs.

But the key to his lasting fame was that George Michael’s music spoke to people around the world, sometimes in difficult circumstances, sometimes celebrating joyful moments in lives that could not have been more different to his own. That is what made him special and people in Bushey have not forgotten it.

It is always hard to say goodbye to someone you love – even if you have never actually met them in person – but at least George Michael has been immortalised in his songs.

It does not appear the Bushey community will be throwing in the towel just yet, and there are suggestions about a charity concert being organised at his former school.

Whether you have listened to his songs since he started in The Executives, first heard of him as a member of Wham! or noticed his development during his solo career, George Michael will live on in everyone’s memory.

It is highly unlikely music channels and radio stations will ever stop playing Last Christmas Last Christmas, every Christmas.

Rest in peace, George Michael.

A newsworthy 2016

It has been a tumultuous year, both for the UK, overseas and around Watford and south Hertfordshire.

As this edition shows, there have been a lot of stories throughout 2016 and the Observer could not have written them without the help of our faithful readers.

One thing remains clear, community spirit is still going strong and people still rely on their local newspaper to produce stories celebrating this and holding government and the authorities to account.

The Observer would like to thank all of its readers who have stuck with us throughout 2016 and wish you all a happy new year.