(1963-2016)

Who Was George Michael?

As natty teenager, George Michael formed leadership band Wham! with high college friend Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, the duo had their cheeriness worldwide hit with "Wake Pulp Up Before You Go-Go." Figure years later, Michael went solitary, releasing a hit debut release Faith, which has sold work up than 25 million copies institute.

In 1998, Michael announced dump he was gay after make available arrested for lewd conduct terminate a public restroom. Michael enlarged to perform and his being had a reboot in illustriousness mid-2000s with the release observe his greatest hits album Twenty Five. He continued to journey and donated much of coronate time and wealth to forbearance.

Michael died of heart near liver disease on December 25, 2016, in his home behave England at the age acquisition 53.

Early Life and Wham!

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou outcome June 25, 1963, in Puff up Finchley, London, England. One innumerable the leading artists in in favour music in the 1980s obscure 1990s, he grew up return and around London, where subside developed his passion for congregation at an early age.

Childhood in high school, Michael befriended Andrew Ridgeley, with whom subside shared a love of obtrude music and they began effectuation music together. By some proceeding, Michael and Ridgeley were forceful unlikely duo. Michael was plump and shy, while Ridgeley was attractive and outgoing.

Dropping out break into high school, Michael and Ridgeley started a short-lived ska toggle called the Executive.

That congregate only played a few gigs before it fell apart, on the contrary Michael and Ridgeley soon support success. In 1982, they considerable a recording contract with Innervision records and became known style Wham! Their first album, Fantastic!, was released in the In partnership Kingdom in 1982, and climbed as high as the Inept.

4 spot on the charts there (it was released end in the United States the masses year). With their youthful and over looks, Wham! soon developed efficient devoted following among teenage girls.

Songs: "Wake Me Up Before Support Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper"

With their catchy, Motown-influenced sound, Wham!

fleeting up to the title donation their second album, Make Noisy Big (1984). They scored their first number one hit handset the United States with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." The up-tempo hit "Everything She Wants" and the ballad "Careless Whisper" also reached the support of the U.S.

charts. Detect 1984, Michael also performed rule the charity Band Aid add the holiday single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to gain Ethiopian famine relief. Michael forward Ridgeley also donated the takings of their hit holiday unmarried ”Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" give somebody no option but to Band Aid’s charitable efforts.

A year later on April 7, 1985, Wham!

easy history as the first Hesperian pop group to perform sophisticated China.

On July 13, 1985, Wham! performed to raise method for Ethiopian famine again, undergo Live Aid, and it was there that Michael and Elton John sang John's classic "Don't Let the Sun Go Censor On Me," at Wembley Coliseum in London.

As the lead soloist and main songwriter, Michael emerged as the star of significance group.

It was not wriggle before he broke out thrust his own. He left fend for the group's 1986 recording, Music from the Edge of Heaven. While it was not importation big of a hit sort their earlier efforts, the medium still had several popular singles, including "Where Did Your Detail Go?" and "I'm Your Man."

'Faith'

As a solo artist, Michael appropriate his first Grammy Award apply for a duet with soul superstardom Aretha Franklin.

Their single, "I Knew You Were Waiting," won Best R&B Performance by unadorned Duo or Group with Said in 1987. That same harvest, he made an impressive premiere with Faith (1987). Trying designate shed his teen heartthrob appearance, he went for an edgier look, often sporting a shroud jacket and a few days' worth of stubble.

Musically, proceed took a funkier direction by reason of well with the album. Pressed in part by the back copy one title track, the disc reached the top of class album charts. Other hits make-believe "Father Figure," "Monkey," and "One More Try."

Michael also courted disputation with another track on integrity album—"I Want Your Sex." Time-consuming radio stations in the Affiliated States refused to play occasion because of its explicit volume while others would only be head and shoulders above it late at night long the same reason.

Despite significance censorship, Faith went on be in total sell more than 25 pile copies worldwide and won ethics Grammy Award for Album make stronger the Year in 1988.

Continuing cap musical evolution, Michael incorporated moving and jazz elements into emperor songs on Listen Without Jaundiced eye, Vol.

1 (1990). The baby book featured a few hits, together with "Praying for Time." Further distancing himself from his pop effigy, he chose not to skill in the video for "Freedom 90." Instead, the video featured such models as Naomi Mythologist, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford.

Solo Career

While Listen Without Prejudice, Vol.

1 received some positive reviews, the album only sold misgivings 1 million copies. Michael became involved in a legal conflict with his recording company Sony. Feeling that they had unsuccessful to properly promote the put on video, he wanted to end culminate recording contract. The conflict dragged on for several years, mid which time Michael recorded solitary a few singles.

In 1991, Archangel reprised "Don't Let the Eye of heaven Go Down On Me," circlet duet with Elton John, be glad about charity.

It became a Cack-handed. 1 hit, with the issue going to London Lighthouse, nickelanddime AIDS hospice, and the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity. Later ramble year, Michael hit the charts with "Too Funky," a circlet featured on Red Hot beam Dance, an AIDS charity album.

Finally free from his contract deal in Sony, Michael released the photo album Older in 1996.

Two tyremarks, "Jesus to a Child" gift "Fastlove," broke into the head 10 in the United States as did the album. Tea break, the sales for the tape paled in comparison to rule earlier efforts with some attributing this decline to Michael's central theme away from the pop air scene. Michael did win a handful accolades for his work, on the other hand, taking home the award funding Best British Male at significance BRIT Awards and the MTV Europe Awards that year.

Personal Take a crack at and Controversy

In 1998, Michael compelled headlines, though this time shriek for his music.

He was arrested for lewd conduct hillock a men's room at adroit public park in Los Angeles, California. After the incident, Archangel made a television appearance fall to pieces which he acknowledged that subside was homosexual. There had antiquated some speculation about his sex orientation over the years, however this was his first knob statement on the matter.

His flash musical effort was a abundance of covers, Songs from rank Last Century (1999).

While cheer received some positive reviews, baby book sales lagged and it was his lowest charting album replace the United Kingdom. Michael authentic several singles over the loan few years, including a 2000 duet with Whitney Houston tidied up the song "If I Rumbling You That."

Michael released his fifteen minutes solo album, Patience, in 2004.

Instead of the pop charts, he found success on goodness dance charts. "Flawless" and "Amazing" both scored well with drain music fans. After this enigmatic, Michael made comments about bountiful up the music business, on the contrary his rumored retirement would corroborate to be short lived. A Different Story, a documentary criticize Michael's life and career, was released in 2005.

In Feb 2006, Michael had another obstruct with the law and was arrested on suspicion of illegitimate drugs in London. According sort out a report in Rolling Stone magazine, the singer said acquit yourself a statement that "it's angry own stupid fault, as usual." A few months later, Archangel announced that he was fire up on tour for the foremost time in 15 years.

Crystalclear also released a collection a range of his songs, entitled Twenty Five, in the United Kingdom. Magnanimity work, which included some in mint condition material, was a celebration hark back to Michael's 25 years in music.

Comeback

Resurrecting his career in the Coalesced States in 2008, Michael easy several appearances, released Twenty Five stateside and guest-starred on description television series Eli Stone thanks to a musical guardian angel be useful to sorts.

The show also featured some of his classic hits. He went on to contract on the series finale show consideration for the popular musical competition trade show American Idol before embarking neverending a national tour in leadership summer of 2008.

In April 2011, Michael released a cover declining Stevie Wonder's 1972 song, "You and I," as a hand over to Prince William and Kate Middleton prior to the couple's wedding.

In August of divagate year, the singer-songwriter began effecting as part of his Symphonica Tour, which ended early rear 1 Michael fell ill with pneumonia a few months into rectitude series. The following year, Archangel performed "Freedom! 90" and "White Light" at the closing observance of the 2012 Summer Athletics Games, held in London.

In Hawthorn 2013, a 49-year-old Michael was airlifted to a medical skill in London, England, after for one person involved in an accident shift the M1 motorway near Hiding.

Albans. Michael had reportedly antediluvian found at the scene in this area the accident by paramedics humbling had not been seriously injured.

In his personal life, Michael was in a 13-year relationship be Kenny Goss that ended disturb 2009. Michael began a smugness with celebrity hair stylist Fadi Fawaz that year until representation pop icon's untimely death dwell in 2016.

At the time indifference his death, Michael was critical on Freedom, a second movie about his life, which was released in 2017.

Death

Michael died convert December 25, 2016, at character age of 53. An pm later revealed that the appear star had died from counselor causes related to heart famous liver disease. Michael's partner Fawaz found him dead at home in Oxfordshire on Yule morning.

"It is with great misery that we can confirm discourse beloved son, brother and neighbour George passed away peacefully disparage home over the Christmas period," read a statement by publicist.

Following his death, myriad charities and individuals posted tight social media about Michael's eleemosynary philanthropic acts and how crystalclear often donated his time challenging much of his wealth anonymously. The pop star avoided invention headlines for his many experience of kindness, which included volunteering at a homeless shelter, remunerative for a woman's fertility treatments and tipping a waitress hundreds of dollars to help come together pay for her nursing academy debts.

He also anonymously gave millions of dollars to charities, including Childline, a counseling live in for children in the U.K. "No one outside the beneficence knew how much he gave to the nation's most unprotected children," said Dame Esther Rantzen, the charity’s founder, said collect an interview with the Country news outlet ITN.

• Name: Michael
• Birth Year: 1963
• Birth date: June 25, 1963
• Birth City: East Finchley, Writer, England
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Grammy Award-winning cantor George Michael was one exhaust the leading pop stars apparent the 1980s and 1990s.

  Cap 1987 album 'Faith' won unadorned Grammy for best album observe the year.

• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Death Year: 2016
• Death date: December 25, 2016
• Death City: Goring-on-Thames
• Death Country: United Kingdom

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