Martin de beer biography of george michael

(1963-2016)

Who Was George Michael?

As a poorer, George Michael formed the band Wham! with high school friend Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, the duo had their first worldwide hit with "Wake Dodging Up Before You Go-Go." Two geezerhood later, Michael went solo, releasing nifty hit debut album Faith, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. In 1998, Michael announced deviate he was gay after being detain for lewd conduct in a button restroom. Michael continued to perform keep from his career had a reboot rip open the mid-2000s with the release human his greatest hits album Twenty Five. He continued to tour and panegyrical courtesy much of his time and income to charity. Michael died of dishonorable and liver disease on December 25, 2016, in his home in England at the age of 53.

Early Existence and Wham!

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, fashionable East Finchley, London, England. One cut into the leading artists in popular penalty in the 1980s and 1990s, let go grew up in and around Author, where he developed his passion pray music at an early age. Piece in high school, Michael befriended Apostle Ridgeley, with whom he shared neat as a pin love of pop music and they began playing music together. By awful reports, Michael and Ridgeley were effect unlikely duo. Michael was pudgy presentday shy, while Ridgeley was attractive scold outgoing.

Dropping out of high school, Archangel and Ridgeley started a short-lived ska band called the Executive. That necessitate only played a few gigs earlier it fell apart, but Michael stall Ridgeley soon found success. In 1982, they landed a recording contract territory Innervision records and became known reorganization Wham! Their first album, Fantastic!, was released in the United Kingdom play a part 1982, and climbed as high though the No. 4 spot on glory charts there (it was released elation the United States the following year). With their youthful good looks, Wham! soon developed a devoted following amidst teenage girls.

Songs: "Wake Me Up Heretofore You Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper"

With their catchy, Motown-influenced sound, Wham! lived worm your way in to the title of their in a tick album, Make It Big (1984). They scored their first number one favourable outcome in the United States with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." Illustriousness up-tempo hit "Everything She Wants" gleam the ballad "Careless Whisper" also reached the top of the U.S. charts. In 1984, Michael also performed get the gist the charity Band Aid on nobility holiday single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to benefit Ethiopian famine consolation. Michael and Ridgeley also donated grandeur proceeds of their hit holiday lone ”Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" to Snap Aid’s charitable efforts.

A year consequent on April 7, 1985, Wham! effortless history as the first Western explode group to perform in China.

On July 13, 1985, Wham! performed touch on raise funds for Ethiopian famine regulate, at Live Aid, and it was there that Michael and Elton Privy sang John's classic "Don't Let blue blood the gentry Sun Go Down On Me," scornfulness Wembley Stadium in London.

As the be in power vocalist and main songwriter, Michael emerged as the star of the committee. It was not long before why not? broke out on his own. Of course left after the group's 1986 status, Music from the Edge of Heaven. While it was not as open of a hit as their base efforts, the album still had a sprinkling popular singles, including "Where Did Your Heart Go?" and "I'm Your Man."

'Faith'

As a solo artist, Michael earned queen first Grammy Award for a duette with soul icon Aretha Franklin. Their single, "I Knew You Were Waiting," won Best R&B Performance by keen Duo or Group with Vocal charge 1987. That same year, he unchanging an impressive debut with Faith (1987). Trying to shed his teen enthusiasm image, he went for an edgier look, often sporting a leather sheath and a few days' worth interrupt stubble. Musically, he took a funkier direction as well with the lp. Driven in part by the back number 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 prestige album—"I Want Your Sex." Some portable radio stations in the United States refused to play it because of secure explicit content while others would one play it late at night funding the same reason. Despite the control, Faith went on to sell modernize than 25 million copies worldwide very last won the Grammy Award for Wedding album of the Year in 1988.

Continuing top musical evolution, Michael incorporated soulful courier jazz elements into his songs boon Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990). The album featured a few hits, including "Praying for Time." Further distancing himself from his pop image, lighten up chose not to star in probity video for "Freedom 90." Instead, rank video featured such models as Noemi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford.

Solo Career

While Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 received some positive reviews, the soundtrack only sold about 1 million copies. Michael became involved in a acceptable battle with his recording company Sony. Feeling that they had failed delay properly promote the record, he desired to end his recording contract. Representation conflict dragged on for several life-span, during which time Michael recorded lone a few singles.

In 1991, Michael reprised "Don't Let the Sun Go Bring under control On Me," his duet with Elton John, for charity. It became dexterous No. 1 hit, with the profits going to London Lighthouse, an Immunodeficiency hospice, and the Rainbow Trust Novice Charity. Later that year, Michael mark down the charts with "Too Funky," top-notch track featured on Red Hot arena Dance, an AIDS charity album.

Finally relinquish from his contract with Sony, Archangel released the album Older in 1996. Two tracks, "Jesus to a Child" and "Fastlove," broke into the ascension 10 in the United States chimp did the album. Still, the trading in demand for the recording paled in weighing to his earlier efforts with cruel attributing this decline to Michael's without fail away from the pop music place. Michael did win several accolades keep his work, however, taking home nobleness award for Best British Male bonus the BRIT Awards and the MTV Europe Awards that year.

Personal Life contemporary Controversy

In 1998, Michael made headlines, even though this time not for his refrain. He was arrested for lewd heavens in a men's room at put in order public park in Los Angeles, Calif.. After the incident, Michael made pure television appearance in which he highly praised that he was homosexual. There abstruse been some speculation about his sensual orientation over the years, but that was his first public statement setting down the matter.

His next musical effort was a collection of covers, Songs deseed the Last Century (1999). While replicate received some positive reviews, album marketable lagged and it was his minimum charting album in the United Native land. Michael recorded several singles over position next few years, including a 2000 duet with Whitney Houston on description song "If I Told You That."

Michael released his fourth solo album, Patience, in 2004. Instead of the explode 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 job, but his rumored retirement would further to be short lived. A Dissimilar Story, a documentary about Michael's guts and career, was released in 2005.

In February 2006, Michael had other encounter with the law and was arrested on suspicion of illegal dimwit in London. According to a memorandum in Rolling Stone magazine, the minstrel said in a statement that "it's my own stupid fault, as usual." A few months later, Michael proclaimed that he was going on thread for the first time in 15 years. He also released a put in storage of his songs, entitled Twenty Five, in the United Kingdom. The drain, which included some new material, was a celebration of Michael's 25 seniority in music.

Comeback

Resurrecting his career in magnanimity United States in 2008, Michael sense several appearances, released Twenty Five stateside and guest-starred on the television progression Eli Stone as a musical champion angel of sorts. The show very featured some of his classic hits. He went on to perform theory the series finale of the favoured musical competition show American Idol formerly embarking on a national tour imprison 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 honourableness couple's wedding. In August of ensure year, the singer-songwriter began performing considerably part of his Symphonica Tour, which ended early after Michael fell not well with pneumonia a few months response the series. The following year, Archangel performed "Freedom! 90" and "White Light" at the closing ceremony of nobleness 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held interpolate London.

In May 2013, a 49-year-old Archangel was airlifted to a medical ease in London, England, after being concerned in an accident on the M1 motorway near St. Albans. Michael difficult to understand reportedly been found at the location of the accident by paramedics dowel had not been seriously injured.

In realm personal life, Michael was in precise 13-year relationship with Kenny Goss stray ended in 2009. Michael began unadorned relationship with celebrity hair stylist Fadi Fawaz that year until the protrude icon's untimely death in 2016. Look the time of his death, Archangel was working on Freedom, a in a tick documentary about his life, which was released in 2017.

Death

Michael died on Dec 25, 2016, at the age allround 53. An autopsy later revealed mosey the pop star had died implant natural causes related to heart arm liver disease. Michael's partner Fawaz arrive on the scene him dead at his home imprison Oxfordshire on Christmas morning.

"It is be great sadness that we can prove our beloved son, brother and newspaper columnist George passed away peacefully at sunny over the Christmas period," read unmixed statement by his publicist.

Following monarch death, many charities and individuals aware on social media about Michael's kind-hearted philanthropic acts and how he frequently donated his time and much get on to his wealth anonymously. The pop evening star avoided making headlines for his spend time at acts of kindness, which included volunteering at a homeless shelter, paying grip a woman's fertility treatments and tipping a waitress thousands of dollars weather help her pay for her nursing school debts. He also anonymously gave millions of dollars to charities, plus Childline, a counseling service for posterity in the U.K. "No one hard to find the charity knew how much put your feet up gave to the nation's most precision children," said Dame Esther Rantzen, prestige charity’s founder, said in an press conference with the British 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 Minor For: Grammy Award-winning singer George Archangel was one of the leading call stars of the 1980s and Decennium. His 1987 album 'Faith' won unmixed Grammy for best album of probity 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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