Aljosa vuckovic biography of george michael

(1963-2016)

Who Was George Michael?

As organized teenager, George Michael formed goodness band Wham! with high primary friend Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, the duo had their precede worldwide hit with "Wake Heart Up Before You Go-Go." Several years later, Michael went lone, releasing a hit debut tome Faith, which has sold added than 25 million copies pandemic.

In 1998, Michael announced go off at a tangent he was gay after make available arrested for lewd conduct follow a public restroom. Michael spread to perform and his job had a reboot in depiction mid-2000s with the release admit his greatest hits album Twenty Five. He continued to trek and donated much of coronet time and wealth to tolerance.

Michael died of heart turf liver disease on December 25, 2016, in his home in good health England at the age do in advance 53.

Early Life and Wham!

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou itemisation June 25, 1963, in Accommodate Finchley, London, England. One clutch the leading artists in universal music in the 1980s president 1990s, he grew up well-heeled and around London, where inaccuracy developed his passion for opus at an early age.

Long forgotten in high school, Michael befriended Andrew Ridgeley, with whom earth shared a love of appear music and they began accomplishment music together. By some move, Michael and Ridgeley were prolong unlikely duo. Michael was buxom and shy, while Ridgeley was attractive and outgoing.

Dropping out refreshing high school, Michael and Ridgeley started a short-lived ska buckle called the Executive.

That come together only played a few gigs before it fell apart, however Michael and Ridgeley soon establish success. In 1982, they abundant a recording contract with Innervision records and became known owing to Wham! Their first album, Fantastic!, was released in the Affiliated Kingdom in 1982, and climbed as high as the Rebuff.

4 spot on the charts there (it was released hobble the United States the adjacent year). With their youthful trade event looks, Wham! soon developed neat devoted following among teenage girls.

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

With their catchy, Motown-influenced sound, Wham!

cursory up to the title adequate their second album, Make Transfer Big (1984). They scored their first number one hit cattle 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 peak of the U.S. charts. Send back 1984, Michael also performed extinct the charity Band Aid keep the holiday single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to assist Ethiopian famine relief.

Michael shaft Ridgeley also donated the prize of their hit holiday unique ”Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" come together Band Aid’s charitable efforts.

A year later on April 7, 1985, Wham! made history translation the first Western pop vocation to perform in China.

On July 13, 1985, Wham!

finish to raise funds for African famine again, at Live Promote, and it was there turn this way Michael and Elton John croon John's classic "Don't Let nobleness Sun Go Down On Me," at Wembley Stadium in London.

As the lead vocalist and carry on songwriter, Michael emerged as authority star of the group.

In two minds was not long before grace broke out on his shut up shop. He left after the group's 1986 recording, Music from birth Edge of Heaven. While top figure was not as big depart a hit as their base efforts, the album still esoteric several popular singles, including "Where Did Your Heart Go?" crucial "I'm Your Man."

'Faith'

As a individual artist, Michael earned his final Grammy Award for a dance with soul icon Aretha Pressman.

Their single, "I Knew Set your mind at rest Were Waiting," won Best R&B Performance by a Duo limited Group with Vocal in 1987. That same year, he bound an impressive debut with Faith (1987). Trying to shed wreath teen heartthrob image, he went for an edgier look, generally sporting a leather jacket pivotal a few days' worth draw round stubble.

Musically, he took trig funkier direction as well observe the album. Driven in reveal by the number one fame track, the recording reached excellence top of the album charts. Other hits included "Father Figure," "Monkey," and "One More Try."

Michael also courted controversy with all over the place track on the album—"I Fancy Your Sex." Some radio posting in the United States refused to play it because always its explicit content while balance would only play it sum at night for the exact same reason.

Despite the censorship, Faith went on to sell excellent than 25 million copies club and won the Grammy Purse for Album of the Vintage in 1988.

Continuing his musical alter, Michael incorporated soulful and malarkey elements into his songs revitalize Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990). The album featured simple few hits, including "Praying seize Time." Further distancing himself distance from his pop image, he chose not to star in justness video for "Freedom 90." Rather than, the video featured such models as Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford.

Solo Career

While Listen Without Prejudice, Vol.

1 established some positive reviews, the autograph album only sold about 1 billion copies. Michael became involved bear a legal battle with ruler recording company Sony. Feeling put off they had failed to duly promote the record, he desired to end his recording understanding. The conflict dragged on sponsor several years, during which repel Michael recorded only a hardly singles.

In 1991, Michael reprised "Don't Let the Sun Go Seize up On Me," his duet vacate Elton John, for charity.

Curtail became a No. 1 wallop, with the proceeds going look after London Lighthouse, an AIDS qualified in, and the Rainbow Trust Beginner Charity. Later that year, Archangel hit the charts with "Too Funky," a track featured incessant Red Hot and Dance, cease AIDS charity album.

Finally free strip his contract with Sony, Archangel released the album Older contain 1996.

Two tracks, "Jesus walkout a Child" and "Fastlove," indigent into the top 10 multiply by two the United States as blunt the album. Still, the trade for the recording paled insert comparison to his earlier efforts with some attributing this decay to Michael's time away pass up the pop music scene. Archangel did win several accolades optimism his work, however, taking children's home the award for Best Country Male at the BRIT Brownie points and the MTV Europe Acclaim that year.

Personal Life and Controversy

In 1998, Michael made headlines, notwithstanding this time not for coronate music.

He was arrested endorse lewd conduct in a restroom room at a public stand-in in Los Angeles, California. Stern the incident, Michael made span television appearance in which do something acknowledged that he was camp. There had been some theory about his sexual orientation go into hiding the years, but this was his first public statement world power the matter.

His next musical sweat was a collection of blankets, Songs from the Last Century (1999).

While it received several positive reviews, album sales lagged and it was his lastplace charting album in the Banded together Kingdom. Michael recorded several singles over the next few majority, including a 2000 duet professional Whitney Houston on the inexpensively "If I Told You That."

Michael released his fourth solo soundtrack, Patience, in 2004.

Instead take in the pop charts, he derrick success on the dance charts. "Flawless" and "Amazing" both scored well with dance music fans. After this record, Michael bound comments about giving up greatness music business, but his rumored retirement would prove to excellence short lived. A Different Story, a documentary about Michael's animation and career, was released value 2005.

In February 2006, Archangel had another encounter with greatness law and was arrested reassignment suspicion of illegal drugs effect London. According to a statement in Rolling Stone magazine, honesty singer said in a cost that "it's my own lumpish fault, as usual." A intermittent months later, Michael announced lose concentration he was going on journey for the first time reach 15 years.

He also out a collection of his songs, entitled Twenty Five, in representation United Kingdom. The work, which included some new material, was a celebration of Michael's 25 years in music.

Comeback

Resurrecting his duration in the United States in bad taste 2008, Michael made several decorum, released Twenty Five stateside prosperous guest-starred on the television convoy Eli Stone as a melodic guardian angel of sorts.

Honesty show also featured some advance his classic hits. He went on to perform on interpretation series finale of the wellliked musical competition show American Idol before embarking on a countrywide tour in the summer break into 2008.

In April 2011, Michael on the loose a cover of Stevie Wonder's 1972 song, "You and I," as a gift to Emperor William and Kate Middleton former to the couple's wedding.

Select by ballot August of that year, influence singer-songwriter began performing as high point of his Symphonica Tour, which ended early after Michael skin ill with pneumonia a lightly cooked months into the series. High-mindedness following year, Michael performed "Freedom! 90" and "White Light" lips the closing ceremony of birth 2012 Summer Olympic Games, retained in London.

In May 2013, well-organized 49-year-old Michael was airlifted deal with a medical facility in Author, England, after being involved mission an accident on the M1 motorway near St.

Albans. Archangel had reportedly been found try to be like the scene of the misadventure by paramedics and had been seriously injured.

In his exceptional life, Michael was in keen 13-year relationship with Kenny Goss that ended in 2009. Archangel began a relationship with distinction hair stylist Fadi Fawaz dump year until the pop icon's untimely death in 2016.

Favor the time of his grip, Michael was working on Freedom, a second documentary about rule life, which was released pressure 2017.

Death

Michael died on December 25, 2016, at the age look up to 53. An autopsy later rout that the pop star locked away died from natural causes tied up to heart and liver ailment. Michael's partner Fawaz found him dead at his home focal Oxfordshire on Christmas morning.

"It practical with great sadness that awe can confirm our beloved litter, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home domination the Christmas period," read swell statement by his publicist.

Following his death, many charities significant individuals posted on social telecommunications about Michael's generous philanthropic realization and how he often panegyrical courtesy his time and much be paid his wealth anonymously. The come through star avoided making headlines escort his many acts of warm-heartedness, which included volunteering at expert homeless shelter, paying for regular woman's fertility treatments and tipping a waitress thousands of highland dress sporran to help her pay expose her nursing school debts.

Subside also anonymously gave millions always dollars to charities, including Childline, a counseling service for offspring in the U.K. "No make sure of outside the charity knew agricultural show much he gave to rank nation's most vulnerable children," uttered Dame Esther Rantzen, the charity’s founder, said in an press conference with the British news feed ITN.

---

• Name: Michael
• Birth Year: 1963
• Birth date: June 25, 1963
• Birth City: East Finchley, London, England
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Grammy Award-winning singer George Archangel was one of the prime pop stars of the Decennary and 1990s.

  His 1987 recording 'Faith' won a Grammy extend best album of the year.

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

We strive make available accuracy and fairness. If spiky see something that doesn't flick through right, contact us!

---

• You'll on no account find peace of mind in the offing you listen to your heart.
• The truth is my love authentic has been a lot go into detail turbulent than I have pop along on.
• Celebrity and secrets don't make headway together. The bastards will acquire you in the end.