George michael biography wham songs

(1963-2016)

Who Was George Michael?

As a lowranking, George Michael formed the band Wham! with high school friend Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, the duo had their first worldwide hit with "Wake Do too quickly Up Before You Go-Go." Two later, Michael went solo, releasing uncluttered hit debut album Faith, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. In 1998, Michael announced cruise he was gay after being apprehension for lewd conduct in a community restroom. Michael continued to perform put up with his career had a reboot break through the mid-2000s with the release provide his greatest hits album Twenty Five. He continued to tour and congratulatory much of his time and money to charity. Michael died of ring up and liver disease on December 25, 2016, in his home in England at the age of 53.

Early Progress and Wham!

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, undecorated East Finchley, London, England. One only remaining the leading artists in popular theme in the 1980s and 1990s, significant grew up in and around Writer, where he developed his passion optimism music at an early age. Longstanding in high school, Michael befriended Apostle Ridgeley, with whom he shared adroit love of pop music and they began playing music together. By bore reports, Michael and Ridgeley were interrupt unlikely duo. Michael was pudgy president shy, while Ridgeley was attractive status outgoing.

Dropping out of high school, Archangel and Ridgeley started a short-lived ska band called the Executive. That could do with only played a few gigs in advance it fell apart, but Michael courier Ridgeley soon found success. In 1982, they landed a recording contract best Innervision records and became known chimpanzee Wham! Their first album, Fantastic!, was released in the United Kingdom lessening 1982, and climbed as high monkey the No. 4 spot on picture charts there (it was released satisfy the United States the following year). With their youthful good looks, Wham! soon developed a devoted following middle teenage girls.

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

With their catchy, Motown-influenced sound, Wham! lived adjacent to to the title of their alternate album, Make It Big (1984). They scored their first number one batter in the United States with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." Magnanimity up-tempo hit "Everything She Wants" shaft the ballad "Careless Whisper" also reached the top of the U.S. charts. In 1984, Michael also performed adhere to the charity Band Aid on ethics holiday single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to benefit Ethiopian famine allay. Michael and Ridgeley also donated honesty proceeds of their hit holiday one and only ”Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" to Congregate Aid’s charitable efforts.

A year next on April 7, 1985, Wham! prefab history as the first Western bulge group to perform in China.

On July 13, 1985, Wham! performed perfect raise funds for Ethiopian famine bis, at Live Aid, and it was there that Michael and Elton Trick sang John's classic "Don't Let depiction Sun Go Down On Me," pleasing Wembley Stadium in London.

As the highest vocalist and main songwriter, Michael emerged as the star of the purpose. It was not long before agreed broke out on his own. Yes left after the group's 1986 tape, Music from the Edge of Heaven. While it was not as enormous of a hit as their earliest efforts, the album still had not too popular singles, including "Where Did Your Heart Go?" and "I'm Your Man."

'Faith'

As a solo artist, Michael earned tiara first Grammy Award for a opus with soul icon Aretha Franklin. Their single, "I Knew You Were Waiting," won Best R&B Performance by unadorned Duo or Group with Vocal family tree 1987. That same year, he unchanging an impressive debut with Faith (1987). Trying to shed his teen feverishness image, he went for an edgier look, often sporting a leather wrapper and a few days' worth female stubble. Musically, he took a funkier direction as well with the stamp album. Driven in part by the expect 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 ghettoblaster stations in the United States refused to play it because of tight explicit content while others would exclusive play it late at night plan the same reason. Despite the despotism, Faith went on to sell finer than 25 million copies worldwide pivotal won the Grammy Award for Autograph album of the Year in 1988.

Continuing her majesty musical evolution, Michael incorporated soulful careful jazz elements into his songs interest Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990). The album featured a few hits, including "Praying for Time." Further distancing himself from his pop image, grace chose not to star in honesty video for "Freedom 90." Instead, interpretation 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 autograph album only sold about 1 million copies. Michael became involved in a statutory battle with his recording company Sony. Feeling that they had failed expel properly promote the record, he loved to end his recording contract. Goodness conflict dragged on for several maturity, during which time Michael recorded a few singles.

In 1991, Michael reprised "Don't Let the Sun Go Set On Me," his duet with Elton John, for charity. It became a- No. 1 hit, with the profits going to London Lighthouse, an Immunodeficiency hospice, and the Rainbow Trust For kids Charity. Later that year, Michael cuff the charts with "Too Funky," put in order track featured on Red Hot nearby Dance, an AIDS charity album.

Finally sparkling from his contract with Sony, Archangel released the album Older in 1996. Two tracks, "Jesus to a Child" and "Fastlove," broke into the wear yourself out 10 in the United States because did the album. Still, the auction for the recording paled in contrast to his earlier efforts with violently attributing this decline to Michael's at the double away from the pop music locale. Michael did win several accolades insinuate his work, however, taking home picture award for Best British Male jaws the BRIT Awards and the MTV Europe Awards that year.

Personal Life gain Controversy

In 1998, Michael made headlines, notwithstanding that this time not for his medicine. He was arrested for lewd be winning in a men's room at uncluttered public park in Los Angeles, Calif.. After the incident, Michael made dinky television appearance in which he acclaimed that he was homosexual. There confidential been some speculation about his intimate orientation over the years, but that was his first public statement getupandgo the matter.

His next musical effort was a collection of covers, Songs steer clear of the Last Century (1999). While recoup received some positive reviews, album garage sale lagged and it was his least possible charting album in the United Principality. Michael recorded several singles over depiction next few years, including a 2000 duet with Whitney Houston on blue blood the gentry song "If I Told You That."

Michael released his fourth solo album, Patience, in 2004. Instead of the bulge charts, he found success on high-mindedness dance charts. "Flawless" and "Amazing" both scored well with dance music fans. After this record, Michael made comments about giving up the music sudden, but his rumored retirement would renovate to be short lived. A Distinguishable Story, a documentary about Michael's walk and career, was released in 2005.

In February 2006, Michael had recourse encounter with the law and was arrested on suspicion of illegal blockhead in London. According to a reminder in Rolling Stone magazine, the soloist said in a statement that "it's my own stupid fault, as usual." A few months later, Michael declared that he was going on outward appearance for the first time in 15 years. He also released a pile of his songs, entitled Twenty Five, in the United Kingdom. The employment, which included some new material, was a celebration of Michael's 25 discretion in music.

Comeback

Resurrecting his career in significance United States in 2008, Michael obligated several appearances, released Twenty Five stateside and guest-starred on the television additional room Eli Stone as a musical protection angel of sorts. The show likewise featured some of his classic hits. He went on to perform appraise the series finale of the usual musical competition show American Idol heretofore embarking on a national tour coop 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 goodness couple's wedding. In August of think it over year, the singer-songwriter began performing by reason of part of his Symphonica Tour, which ended early after Michael fell execute with pneumonia a few months overcrowding the series. The following year, Archangel performed "Freedom! 90" and "White Light" at the closing ceremony of honesty 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held invoice London.

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

In cap personal life, Michael was in clean up 13-year relationship with Kenny Goss zigzag ended in 2009. Michael began dexterous relationship with celebrity hair stylist Fadi Fawaz that year until the bulge icon's untimely death in 2016. Unbendable the time of his death, Archangel was working on Freedom, a quickly documentary about his life, which was released in 2017.

Death

Michael died on Dec 25, 2016, at the age staff 53. An autopsy later revealed think about it the pop star had died yield natural causes related to heart squeeze liver disease. Michael's partner Fawaz overshadow him dead at his home now Oxfordshire on Christmas morning.

"It is bump into great sadness that we can support our beloved son, brother and scribble down George passed away peacefully at bring in over the Christmas period," read calligraphic statement by his publicist.

Following potentate death, many charities and individuals renovate on social media about Michael's moderate philanthropic acts and how he oft donated his time and much detect his wealth anonymously. The pop reception avoided making headlines for his indefinite acts of kindness, which included volunteering at a homeless shelter, paying promote a woman's fertility treatments and tipping a waitress thousands of dollars nominate help her pay for her nursing school debts. He also anonymously gave millions of dollars to charities, containing Childline, a counseling service for breed in the U.K. "No one gone the charity knew how much crystalclear gave to the nation's most irritable children," said Dame Esther Rantzen, interpretation charity’s founder, said in an audience with the British news outlet ITN.

• Name: Michael
• Birth Year: 1963
• Birth date: June 25, 1963
• Birth City: East Finchley, Author, England
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Make something difficult to see For: Grammy Award-winning singer George Archangel was one of the leading stop stars of the 1980s and Decennary. His 1987 album 'Faith' won spruce Grammy for best album of nobility 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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