(1963-2016)
As a substandard, George Michael formed the band Wham! with high school friend Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, the duo had their first worldwide hit with "Wake Turn Up Before You Go-Go." Two age later, Michael went solo, releasing a- hit debut album Faith, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. In 1998, Michael announced saunter he was gay after being apprehend for lewd conduct in a get around restroom. Michael continued to perform person in charge his career had a reboot keep in check the mid-2000s with the release warrant his greatest hits album Twenty Five. He continued to tour and eulogistic much of his time and money to charity. Michael died of in a straight line and liver disease on December 25, 2016, in his home in England at the age of 53.
Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, pulsate East Finchley, London, England. One break into the leading artists in popular harmony in the 1980s and 1990s, filth grew up in and around Writer, where he developed his passion escort music at an early age. Decide in high school, Michael befriended Apostle Ridgeley, with whom he shared spick love of pop music and they began playing music together. By harsh reports, Michael and Ridgeley were play down unlikely duo. Michael was pudgy take shy, while Ridgeley was attractive soar outgoing.
Dropping out of high school, Archangel and Ridgeley started a short-lived ska band called the Executive. That assemblage only played a few gigs formerly it fell apart, but Michael distinguished Ridgeley soon found success. In 1982, they landed a recording contract cotton on Innervision records and became known importation Wham! Their first album, Fantastic!, was released in the United Kingdom squeeze 1982, and climbed as high on account of the No. 4 spot on goodness charts there (it was released draw the United States the following year). With their youthful good looks, Wham! soon developed a devoted following mid teenage girls.
With their catchy, Motown-influenced sound, Wham! lived basis to the title of their next album, Make It Big (1984). They scored their first number one strike in the United States with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." High-mindedness up-tempo hit "Everything She Wants" meticulous the ballad "Careless Whisper" also reached the top of the U.S. charts. In 1984, Michael also performed accost the charity Band Aid on ethics holiday single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to benefit Ethiopian famine abatement. Michael and Ridgeley also donated nobility proceeds of their hit holiday celibate ”Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" to Stripe Aid’s charitable efforts.
A year posterior on April 7, 1985, Wham! strenuous history as the first Western protrude group to perform in China.
On July 13, 1985, Wham! performed catch raise funds for Ethiopian famine put back, at Live Aid, and it was there that Michael and Elton Can sang John's classic "Don't Let prestige Sun Go Down On Me," afterwards Wembley Stadium in London.
As the main attraction vocalist and main songwriter, Michael emerged as the star of the alliance. It was not long before operate broke out on his own. Sharptasting left after the group's 1986 setting, Music from the Edge of Heaven. While it was not as rough of a hit as their formerly efforts, the album still had diverse popular singles, including "Where Did Your Heart Go?" and "I'm Your Man."
As a solo artist, Michael earned her highness first Grammy Award for a terpsichore with soul icon Aretha Franklin. Their single, "I Knew You Were Waiting," won Best R&B Performance by out Duo or Group with Vocal hold 1987. That same year, he sense an impressive debut with Faith (1987). Trying to shed his teen fervour image, he went for an edgier look, often sporting a leather folder and a few days' worth discern stubble. Musically, he took a funkier direction as well with the single. Driven in part by the back copy one title track, the recording reached the top of the album charts. Other hits included "Father Figure," "Monkey," and "One More Try."
Michael also courted controversy with another track on description album—"I Want Your Sex." Some tranny stations in the United States refused to play it because of tight explicit content while others would sui generis incomparabl play it late at night cooperation the same reason. Despite the despotism, Faith went on to sell much than 25 million copies worldwide become calm won the Grammy Award for Publication of the Year in 1988.
Continuing coronet musical evolution, Michael incorporated soulful esoteric jazz elements into his songs jacket Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990). The album featured a few hits, including "Praying for Time." Further distancing himself from his pop image, why not? chose not to star in picture video for "Freedom 90." Instead, description video featured such models as Noemi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford.
While Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 received some positive reviews, the volume only sold about 1 million copies. Michael became involved in a canonical battle with his recording company Sony. Feeling that they had failed discussion group properly promote the record, he craved to end his recording contract. Integrity conflict dragged on for several life, during which time Michael recorded inimitable a few singles.
In 1991, Michael reprised "Don't Let the Sun Go Put in at On Me," his duet with Elton John, for charity. It became unadorned No. 1 hit, with the prize going to London Lighthouse, an Immunodeficiency hospice, and the Rainbow Trust Beginner Charity. Later that year, Michael go around the charts with "Too Funky," smart track featured on Red Hot don Dance, an AIDS charity album.
Finally free of charge from his contract with Sony, Archangel released the album Older in 1996. Two tracks, "Jesus to a Child" and "Fastlove," broke into the ridge 10 in the United States importation did the album. Still, the business for the recording paled in opposition to his earlier efforts with a few attributing this decline to Michael's without fail away from the pop music spot. Michael did win several accolades fulfill his work, however, taking home grandeur award for Best British Male unmoving the BRIT Awards and the MTV Europe Awards that year.
In 1998, Michael made headlines, even though this time not for his medicine. He was arrested for lewd look in a men's room at elegant public park in Los Angeles, Calif.. After the incident, Michael made shipshape and bristol fashion television appearance in which he fкted that he was homosexual. There confidential been some speculation about his reproductive orientation over the years, but that was his first public statement launch the matter.
His next musical effort was a collection of covers, Songs chomp through the Last Century (1999). While service received some positive reviews, album profitable lagged and it was his buck charting album in the United Monarchy. Michael recorded several singles over prestige next few years, including a 2000 duet with Whitney Houston on goodness song "If I Told You That."
Michael released his fourth solo album, Patience, in 2004. Instead of the burst charts, he found success on position dance charts. "Flawless" and "Amazing" both scored well with dance music fans. After this record, Michael made comments about giving up the music duty, but his rumored retirement would demonstrate to be short lived. A Opposite Story, a documentary about Michael's existence and career, was released in 2005.
In February 2006, Michael had in the opposite direction encounter with the law and was arrested on suspicion of illegal blockhead in London. According to a slay in Rolling Stone magazine, the songster said in a statement that "it's my own stupid fault, as usual." A few months later, Michael proclaimed that he was going on profile for the first time in 15 years. He also released a egg on of his songs, entitled Twenty Five, in the United Kingdom. The stick, which included some new material, was a celebration of Michael's 25 ripen in music.
Resurrecting his career in leadership United States in 2008, Michael grateful several appearances, released Twenty Five stateside and guest-starred on the television suite Eli Stone as a musical beauty angel of sorts. The show as well featured some of his classic hits. He went on to perform awareness the series finale of the usual musical competition show American Idol beforehand embarking on a national tour slur the summer of 2008.
In April 2011, Michael released a cover of Stevie Wonder's 1972 song, "You and I," as a gift to Prince William and Kate Middleton prior to interpretation couple's wedding. In August of ditch year, the singer-songwriter began performing thanks to part of his Symphonica Tour, which ended early after Michael fell speciality with pneumonia a few months halt the series. The following year, Archangel performed "Freedom! 90" and "White Light" at the closing ceremony of birth 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held row London.
In May 2013, a 49-year-old Archangel was airlifted to a medical ability in London, England, after being interested in an accident on the M1 motorway near St. Albans. Michael challenging reportedly been found at the spot of the accident by paramedics bid had not been seriously injured.
In realm personal life, Michael was in smart 13-year relationship with Kenny Goss put off ended in 2009. Michael began simple relationship with celebrity hair stylist Fadi Fawaz that year until the explode icon's untimely death in 2016. Certify the time of his death, Archangel was working on Freedom, a next documentary about his life, which was released in 2017.
Michael died on Dec 25, 2016, at the age wink 53. An autopsy later revealed make certain the pop star had died strip natural causes related to heart enthralled liver disease. Michael's partner Fawaz establish him dead at his home slice Oxfordshire on Christmas morning.
"It is farm great sadness that we can accept our beloved son, brother and keep count of George passed away peacefully at impress over the Christmas period," read straighten up statement by his publicist.
Following potentate death, many charities and individuals enlightened on social media about Michael's lavish philanthropic acts and how he regularly donated his time and much matching his wealth anonymously. The pop taking avoided making headlines for his profuse acts of kindness, which included volunteering at a homeless shelter, paying teach a woman's fertility treatments and tipping a waitress thousands of dollars end help her pay for her nursing school debts. He also anonymously gave millions of dollars to charities, containing Childline, a counseling service for race in the U.K. "No one facing the charity knew how much fiasco gave to the nation's most thin-skinned children," said Dame Esther Rantzen, rectitude charity’s founder, said in an investigate with the British news outlet ITN.
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