Portrait

George Michael

Born: 25 June 1963London, England
Died: 25 December 2016Goring-on-Thames, England · aged 53

Singer and songwriterUnited Kingdom10th anniversary of death

George Michael

A pop singer and songwriter who turned public scrutiny into a more openly self-directed career.

George Michael was born in London in 1963. Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, he formed Wham! with his school friend Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. Songs including “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Last Christmas” made the duo internationally successful.

His solo album “Faith” (1987) established a different musical identity, combining pop with soul and R&B. He later challenged his record company over control of his work, resisting the demands attached to his early image.

In 1991 he met Anselmo Feleppa, a Brazilian fashion designer who became his partner. Feleppa died of an AIDS-related illness in 1993; Michael’s “Jesus to a Child” became a tribute to him. Grief and the difficulty of keeping that love private shaped an important period of his music.

After an arrest in Beverly Hills in 1998, Michael came out publicly. The single “Outside” answered the scrutiny with humour and defiance. He also supported charities, often privately. Michael died at home in Goring-on-Thames on Christmas Day 2016, aged 53; accounts of his generosity brought another side of his life into public view.

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