The Story of George Michael
In the years since George Michael's
passing, one song has taken on a life of its own. Every December, "Last
Christmas" returns to the charts for it’s annual holiday wave. In recent
years, it even climbed as high as #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, only to be
blocked by... well, that other Christmas song everyone knows. For millions of
people, that's what George Michael has become: the man behind a beloved
Christmas classic. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Long before
"Last Christmas" became a holiday tradition, George Michael was one
of the biggest stars on the planet. He helped redefine pop music with Wham!,
became one of the best-selling solo artists of all time, battled personal
tragedy and public controversy, and quietly changed countless lives through
acts of generosity that many people wouldn't learn about until after his death.
This is the story of a man who had the world at his feet... yet spent much of his
life searching for peace. So without further ado...This is the story of George
Michael.
The
Story of George Michael
George Michael was born Georgios
(ye-oreos) Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, in East Finchley, London. His
father, Kyriacos, was a Greek Cypriot immigrant who owned and operated a
restaurant, while his mother, Lesley, was a dancer. Georgios grew up alongside
his two sisters, and as a child, he would sometimes help out at his father’s
restaurant, even scrubbing dishes. But even at a young age, George had his
sights set on something very different. Music. George was a shy and somewhat
insecure child, and the confidence that would eventually make him one of the
biggest pop stars in the world was nowhere to be found yet. His father,
meanwhile, wanted his son to have a more conventional future and wasn't
particularly supportive of his ambitions to pursue music. That began to change
when George met someone who would completely alter the course of his life.
Andrew Ridgeley. The two met while attending Bushey Meads School, and the
friendship quickly became inseparable. They bonded over their shared love of
music, skipped school together, wrote songs, and dreamed about becoming
successful musicians. For George, Andrew wasn't just a friend. He became a
source of confidence—the person who encouraged him to believe that the dream
might actually be possible. Eventually, George and Andrew made the decision to
stop treating music like a hobby and start pursuing it as a career. There was
just one problem. They were teenagers. And George's father was not exactly
thrilled with the idea of his son abandoning the traditional path to chase a
career in music. But George had already made up his mind. There was no turning
back.
After disappointing his father,
George and Andrew decided to give music another shot. The two formed a ska
group called The Executive. They recorded several songs and performed locally,
but despite their efforts, nothing really came of it. So they tried again. This
time, they formed a new group called Wham!, with George and Andrew front and
center. Around this same period, Georgios legally changed his name to George
Michael. He knew that his birth name was a difficult name for English-speaking
audiences to pronounce, and he wanted a name that was simpler, more memorable,
and easier to market. But at this point, George and Andrew weren't looking to
become international superstars. They just wanted an opportunity. And
eventually, they got one. The pair came to the attention of Mark Dean of
Innervision Records. Dean liked what he heard and saw enough potential in the
young duo to give them the opportunity they had been looking for. Wham! had
officially landed their first record deal. Now all they had to do was prove
they belonged in the music industry.
In 1983, the teenagers finally got
their first taste of success. Wham! released their debut album, Fantastic, but
things didn't exactly start with a bang. Their first single, “Wham Rap! (Enjoy
What You Do?),” failed to make much of an impact initially, and their
follow-up, “Young Guns (Go for It!),” wasn't exactly setting the charts on fire
either. Then, completely by chance, Wham! got the break they desperately
needed. One night, a scheduled act on the BBC's Top of the Pops had to pull out
at the last minute. With the show needing a replacement, Wham! were asked to
step in. They accepted. And when George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley walked onto
that stage, they certainly didn't look like the polished pop stars they would
eventually become. They wore white espadrilles without socks, rolled-up denim
jeans, an open suede jacket and polo shirts. But the look wasn't what mattered.
They performed. And suddenly, people were paying attention. “Young Guns”
exploded after the performance, eventually climbing to No. 3 on the UK Singles
Chart. Wham! had gone from two teenagers desperately looking for their big
break to one of the hottest new acts in Britain seemingly overnight. And their
debut album Fantastic would follow suit, eventually going triple platinum in
the UK. The opportunity George and Andrew had been looking for had finally
arrived. Now, they had to figure out what to do with it.
Fantastic had become a major
success, but behind the scenes, Wham! had a serious problem. Their record deal
with Innervision. Despite having a No. 1 album and suddenly becoming one of
Britain's hottest new acts, George and Andrew were discovering that their
contract left them with very little to show for that success. The deal had been
signed when they were virtually unknown teenagers desperate for their first
opportunity. They reportedly received only a £500 advance each, while their
royalty rate was just 8 percent on UK singles and albums. They also received no
royalties on 12-inch singles, which were becoming increasingly important in the
dance market. Now that Wham! was
successful, they believed the contract was not only unfair, but an unreasonable
restraint on their careers. So in 1983, Wham! took Innervision to court. The
legal battle dragged on, and while the dispute continued, Innervision even
released a medley of songs from Fantastic without Wham!'s approval. The duo
publicly urged their fans not to buy it. But Wham! weren't just fighting for
better royalties. They wanted out. Eventually, CBS Records stepped into the
dispute. The case was settled out of court, the Innervision agreement was
effectively nullified, and Wham! entered into a new recording agreement with CBS
in 1984. The fallout was devastating for
Innervision. The label eventually dissolved in 1985. For Wham!, however, this
was a major turning point. CBS was a much bigger operation, and now the duo had
the backing they needed to take their music beyond Britain. In the United
States, Wham! would be placed with Columbia Records, giving them a direct path
into the biggest music market in the world. And with that, George Michael and
Andrew Ridgeley were about to find out whether their British success could
become something much bigger.
With a new record deal and a path
into the American market, Wham! were ready to take things to the next level. In
1984, they released their second album, Make It Big, much of which was recorded
in France. And this time, there was no question about whether Wham! had
arrived. The first single was “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” The song was an
instant smash. Its colorful, energetic music video went into heavy rotation on
MTV, exposing George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley to an enormous American
audience. Wham! weren't just a British pop act anymore. They were becoming
international stars. Then came “Careless Whisper.” And this song came with an
interesting distinction. In the United Kingdom, it was marketed as George
Michael's first solo single, even though it had been written and recorded while
he was still part of Wham!. In the United States, however, it was treated as a
Wham! release. But regardless of what name appeared on the record, the result
was the same. “Careless Whisper” became a massive worldwide hit, reaching No. 1
in both the UK and the United States. Wham! followed it with “Freedom,” which
became another UK No. 1, while reaching No. 3 in America. By now, the name Make
It Big wasn't just a clever album title. It was a prediction. The album became
a worldwide blockbuster, eventually selling around 10 million copies globally.
Wham! had gone from two teenagers trying to get their first record deal to
international superstars.
To help promote Make It Big, Wham!
embarked on the Big Tour. And somewhere along the way, George experienced a
moment that probably meant more to him than any chart position. Remember, his
father had never been particularly supportive of his decision to pursue music.
He wanted his son to have a more conventional career and had watched George
walk away from that path to chase a dream. But now, that dream was becoming a
reality. George's father attended one of Wham!'s shows and, according to
George, was overcome with emotion. He reportedly wept and told his son that he
was proud of him. For George, the approval he'd spent years trying to earn had
finally come. And then came Christmas. By the end of 1984, Wham! released what
would become one of George Michael's most enduring songs: “Last Christmas.” The
song became an instant holiday classic, reaching No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
But the song had some serious competition. At the very same time, George was
participating in Band Aid's “Do They Know It's Christmas?”, a charity single
assembled to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. And wouldn't you know
it—the Band Aid single landed at No. 1, keeping “Last Christmas” from the top
spot. George had essentially found himself competing against himself. But rather
than complain about it, Wham! donated the royalties from “Last Christmas” to
the Ethiopian famine appeal. There was also a brief controversy surrounding the
song when the writers of Barry Manilow's “Can't Smile Without You” accused
George of plagiarism. The claim was ultimately dismissed after a musicologist
demonstrated that the chord progression in question appeared in numerous
earlier songs. And while George's professional life was reaching new heights,
his personal life was becoming tabloid material as well. Around this period, he
briefly dated actress Brooke Shields. By the end of 1984, George Michael wasn't
simply a member of Wham! anymore. He was becoming one of the biggest young
stars in the world—and increasingly, the attention was focused on him.
By 1985, Wham! had conquered the
British and American markets. Now, they were taking their success somewhere
that very few Western musicians had gone before. China. Wham! traveled to the
People's Republic of China for a ten-day visit, becoming the first Western pop
act to perform there. The historic trip generated international headlines. The
entire experience was documented for a film, Wham! in China: Foreign Skies,
which would eventually be released in 1986. But while Wham! was making history
overseas, George was also becoming increasingly involved in something bigger
than the group itself. In July 1985, George performed at Live Aid at Wembley
Stadium alongside Elton John, helping raise money for famine relief in
Ethiopia. But behind the scenes, there was another issue beginning to follow
George. His sexuality. Wham! had been marketed as teen heartthrobs, with George
positioned as the group's charismatic frontman. But as his fame grew, rumors
about his sexuality began circulating. At the time, George wasn't publicly
discussing it. He had only confided in a small number of people close to him,
including Andrew and one of his sisters, and he asked them to keep it private.
For the moment, that remained his secret. But George was also beginning to have
another problem with Wham! He didn't want to be dismissed as a pop idol.
Critics had often viewed Wham! as a disposable act—a pair of good-looking
teenagers who had caught the right wave of the 1980s and would eventually
disappear. George knew that he was capable of more. And increasingly, he wanted
the freedom to prove it. So George was faced with a difficult decision. He told
Andrew that he wanted to leave Wham! and pursue a solo career. It wasn't
necessarily a rejection of Andrew or their friendship. George simply believed
that if he wanted to be taken seriously as an artist, he needed to step outside
the identity Wham! had created for him. The duo announced that they would go
their separate ways, but they weren't going to disappear quietly. Wham!
released one final single. “The Edge of Heaven.” The song became their fourth
and final No. 1 single in the UK. And
then, in June 1986, Wham! gave their final performance. Seventy-two thousand
fans packed Wembley Stadium for the farewell concert known as The Final. After four years, the partnership that had
started with two teenagers writing songs together was over. Andrew Ridgeley
would eventually release his own solo album in 1990, but his music career never
approached the heights of Wham!. George, meanwhile, was about to embark on a
completely different chapter. And this time, there would be no Andrew Ridgeley
beside him.
George Michael was now officially a
solo artist. And his first major move outside of Wham! immediately showed that
he had no intention of simply recreating the past. He teamed up with one of the
greatest singers of all time, Aretha Franklin, for “I Knew You Were Waiting
(For Me).” The collaboration became a massive success, reaching No. 1 in both
the United States and the United Kingdom. But more importantly, it earned
George his first Grammy Award, winning Best R&B Performance by a Duo or
Group with Vocal at the 1988 ceremony. George had successfully proven that he
could stand on his own. And then he decided to completely change the image
people had of him. In 1987, George Michael released his debut solo album,
Faith. The first single was “I Want Your Sex.” And the title alone was enough
to cause controversy. This wasn't the clean-cut George Michael that audiences
had become accustomed to seeing with Wham!. “I Want Your Sex” was featured on
the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack, but radio stations weren't exactly eager
to embrace a song with such an explicit title. The controversy was particularly
complicated by the ongoing AIDS crisis, which had made discussions about sex,
safe sex and sexual behavior increasingly urgent and politically charged. Some
stations refused to play the song altogether. Others tried to soften it, with
some replacing the word “sex” with “love.” And then there was the music video.
The video featured George's then-girlfriend, Kathy Jeung, and repeatedly
displayed the word “monogamy” as George attempted to make his message clear.
This wasn't supposed to be an endorsement of casual sex. George was actually
trying to make the opposite argument. But MTV still refused to air the video in
its original form because of its provocative imagery and sexual themes. George
eventually recorded a spoken disclaimer explaining that the song was not about
casual sex and encouraging listeners to understand the message behind it. Of
course, all of the controversy only generated more attention. “I Want Your Sex”
became a major international hit, reaching the Top 10 in multiple countries.
George Michael had officially broken away from the image Wham! had created for
him. And he wasn't just trying to prove that he could succeed without Andrew
Ridgeley. He was making it clear that George Michael was going to define
himself on his own terms.
But “I Want Your Sex” was only the
beginning. The next single was the title track, “Faith.” Compared to its
predecessor, this one was considerably tamer. Gone was the controversy
surrounding the word “sex.” Instead, George gave audiences a stripped-down,
rock-and-roll-influenced song accompanied by one of the most recognizable
images of his career: the leather jacket, sunglasses and stubble. And the song
was enormous. “Faith” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the
best-selling single in the United States in 1988. Then came “Father Figure.”
Another No. 1. Then “One More Try.” Another No. 1. And just when it seemed like
George couldn't possibly do it again, he released “Monkey.” Another No. 1. In
total, Faith produced four U.S. No. 1 singles. George Michael had gone from
being the frontman of Wham! to completely dominating the charts on his own. And
the album itself was just as successful. Faith became a worldwide blockbuster,
selling more than 20 million copies globally, with some estimates putting its
worldwide sales at around 25 million. In the United States, it was certified
Diamond by the RIAA for shipments of more than 10 million copies. The success
translated into some of the biggest honors in music. In 1989, George received
the MTV Video Vanguard Award, recognizing his impact on music videos and
popular culture. Then came the ultimate validation. At the Grammy Awards, Faith
won Album of the Year. George Michael had done what critics once doubted he
could do. He wasn't a flash in the pan. He wasn't simply a former teen idol who
happened to get lucky. He had become one of the biggest solo artists in the
world. And now that he had reached the top, the next question was how far he
was willing to go to stay there.
On the surface, it seemed like
George Michael couldn't be stopped. A blockbuster album. Hit after hit. A
worldwide audience. Awards, money and fame. George had reached the level of
success that most musicians could only dream of. But behind the scenes, that
success was taking a toll. George was exhausted, increasingly lonely and
frustrated, and spending more time away from the friends and family who had
known him before the fame. So when it came time to make his next album, George
decided he was going to do things differently. He didn't want to sell the album
through his image. He didn't want to spend his life doing interviews and
appearing everywhere just to keep his name in the public eye. He wanted the
music to speak for itself. In September 1990, George released Listen Without
Prejudice Vol. 1. And the first thing people noticed was what wasn't there.
George Michael wasn't on the cover. For an artist whose face had been plastered
across magazines, television screens and music videos just a few years earlier,
that was a pretty radical decision. The lead single was “Praying for Time,” a
much more serious song than the material that had dominated the Faith era. The
song addressed poverty, inequality and social injustice, reflecting the darker
mood that had begun to shape George's songwriting. And true to his new
philosophy, George didn't appear in a traditional music video. Instead, the
video focused on the lyrics of the song, a practice musicians use today. But
despite George's refusal to play the traditional pop-star game, the music still
connected with audiences. “Praying for Time” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot
100, becoming George's seventh American No. 1 as a solo artist. Then came
“Freedom! '90.” The title included the “'90” specifically to distinguish it
from Wham!'s 1984 hit “Freedom.” But the song itself was about much more than
avoiding confusion. “Freedom! '90” was George's declaration of independence
from the image that had been created around him. The man who had once been
marketed as a teen heartthrob was now openly questioning the machinery of fame
that had helped make him a superstar. And ironically, the song's music video
would become one of the most iconic of the era—without George Michael appearing
in it. Instead, he handed the spotlight to a group of the world's biggest
fashion models. “Freedom! '90” eventually reached No. 8 in the United States.
George Michael was still a superstar. He just didn't want to play by the rules
of being one anymore.
Compared to Faith, Listen Without
Prejudice Vol. 1 was a commercial disappointment in the United States. Sure, It
sold millions of copies worldwide, was a major success in the United Kingdom,
and ultimately sold around eight million copies globally. But to George
Michael, the problem wasn't simply the sales. He believed Sony hadn't properly
supported the album. George had deliberately refused to participate in the
traditional promotional machine. He didn't appear on the album cover, didn't
appear in music videos and largely stayed away from the publicity circuit. He
believed Sony knew exactly what he was trying to do and should have supported
him anyway. Instead, George became convinced that Sony was punishing him for
walking away from the sex-symbol image that had made him so successful. He
believed the label had deliberately under-promoted Listen Without Prejudice,
particularly in America, because he had refused to play by their rules. And
this wasn't just about one album. George's larger problem was his recording
contract. Back in 1988, he had renegotiated his deal with CBS, which had since
become part of Sony. The new agreement gave him significantly better financial
terms, but it also committed him to producing additional albums for the company
over a long period of time. George now wanted out. So in October 1992, he took
Sony to court. His argument was essentially that the long-term recording
contract restricted his ability to control his own career. He also alleged that
Sony had deliberately undermined Listen Without Prejudice because he had
rejected the promotional strategy they wanted. George wasn't just asking for
better treatment. He wanted to break free from Sony entirely. The case became a
landmark battle between one of the world's biggest pop stars and one of the
world's biggest record companies. And in June 1994, after 74 days of testimony,
the High Court delivered its verdict. George lost. Justice Jonathan Parker
ruled that the 1988 agreement was reasonable and fair and rejected George's
claim that Sony had engaged in unfair conduct or deliberately sabotaged his
career. The judge also noted that George himself had renegotiated the contract
in 1988, with the benefit of professional advice, in exchange for improved
financial terms. For George, the defeat was devastating. He had essentially
tried to regain control of his career—and the court had told him that he was
still bound to the contract. But George wasn't willing to simply return to
business as usual. After the legal battle, Sony and George eventually reached a
different kind of solution, with Sony allowing his contract to be acquired by
other labels. Virgin Records and DreamWorks Records would ultimately become
involved in his next chapter. George Michael had lost his battle with Sony. But
the fight had fundamentally changed the way he viewed the music industry.
Before George's battle with Sony
would reach the courtroom, he experienced both an extraordinary professional
triumph and a devastating personal loss. Back in 1985, George had performed
alongside Elton John at Live Aid. The two had already developed a friendship,
and George had regularly performed Elton's song “Don't Let the Sun Go Down on
Me” during his own shows. Then, in 1991, George brought Elton John out as a
surprise guest during a concert at Wembley Arena. The two performed “Don't Let
the Sun Go Down on Me” together. The response was so overwhelming that they
decided to release the live performance as a single. And once again, George
Michael found himself at the top of the charts. “Don't Let the Sun Go Down on
Me” reached No. 1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom. But while
George was enjoying another career high, his personal life was about to change
forever. Around this time, George entered into a relationship with
Brazilian-American designer Anselmo Feleppa. For George, this was a deeply
meaningful relationship, but just six months into it, Anselmo was diagnosed
with HIV. George essentially put his life on hold to be by his partner's side.
He supported Anselmo through his illness, but there was ultimately nothing
either of them could do to stop it. In 1993, Anselmo Feleppa died from a brain
hemorrhage related to AIDS. George had lost someone he deeply loved. And the
loss would have a profound effect on him—both personally and creatively. The
man who had spent years trying to escape the pressures of fame was now dealing
with grief, while simultaneously fighting a record company over control of his
career. For all the success George Michael had achieved, this period of his
life would prove that fame and fortune couldn't protect him from loss.
After taking some time away from
the spotlight, George Michael returned with his third solo album. In May 1996,
he released Older. And the title was appropriate. This wasn't the George
Michael of Faith anymore. He was older, more experienced, and carrying years of
personal and professional baggage with him—including the loss of Anselmo
Feleppa. The first single, “Jesus to a Child,” made that grief impossible to
ignore. The song was written as a tribute to Feleppa, and George poured his
grief into one of the most personal songs of his career. “Jesus to a Child”
reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom and became another major international hit,
reaching No. 7 in the United States. Then came “Fastlove.” The song was
considerably more upbeat, but underneath its slick production was another
reflection of George's complicated relationship with love and loneliness.
“Fastlove” also reached No. 1 in the UK and peaked at No. 8 in America. But
commercially, Older was a different story from Faith. It wasn't selling tens of
millions of copies or dominating the American market the way his previous album
had. The album was eventually certified Platinum in the United States, while
performing particularly well across Europe. Part of that difference could be
attributed to George's maturing sound. He wasn't trying to recreate Faith. He
had also spent years largely away from the spotlight, and the music industry
had changed considerably during that time. But George wasn't interested in
chasing the pop star he had been in 1988. Older was about where he was now. And
for the first time in his career, George Michael seemed less concerned with
being the biggest star in the room—and more concerned with being honest about
who he had become.
In 1998, George Michael had his
first major encounter with the law. On April 7, he was arrested in a public
restroom at Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills for engaging in a lewd
act. The arrest was part of an undercover police operation targeting sexual
activity in the park. But George had his own version of what happened.
According to Michael, he was followed into the restroom by an undercover
officer who began playing a game that George later described as: “I'll show you
mine, you show me yours, and then when you show me yours, I'm going to nick
you!” George pleaded no contest to the charge and was fined $810, ordered to
complete 80 hours of community service and required to undergo counseling. But
the legal consequences weren't the biggest story. The arrest had exposed
something George had spent years keeping private. His sexuality. For years,
rumors had followed George Michael, but he had largely refused to discuss them
publicly. He had disclosed his sexuality to people close to him, including Andrew
Ridgeley and members of his family, but had never made a public declaration.
Now, he didn't really have a choice. Soon after the arrest, George appeared on
CNN and addressed the subject himself. He acknowledged that he was in a
relationship with a man and explained that he had not been in a relationship
with a woman for almost ten years. More importantly, he made it clear that
while he felt embarrassed and angry about the circumstances, he felt no shame
about being gay. In other words, George Michael had been outed—but he wasn't
going to allow the incident to define him. Instead, he took control of the
narrative himself. After years of hiding his sexuality from the public, George
Michael was finally living openly as a gay man. And from this point forward,
his sexuality would no longer simply be a subject of rumor. It would become an
important part of his public identity—and eventually, his advocacy.
After years of personal struggles
and a long absence from the spotlight, George Michael returned with new music.
In 2004, he released Patience, his first album of original material in eight
years. Critically, the album was well received, and commercially it performed
particularly well in the UK and Europe. It debuted at No. 1 in the United
Kingdom and eventually sold around four million copies worldwide. In America,
however, the response was considerably more modest, with the album peaking at
No. 12. To promote the album, George appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. And he
wasn't exactly hiding from his past. During the interview, George discussed his
arrest, his sexuality, and his decision to return to performing after years
away from the public eye. But there was another subject George was becoming
increasingly vocal about. Politics. George Michael was an outspoken critic of
the Iraq War. In 2002, he released “Shoot the Dog,” a satirical protest song
aimed primarily at British Prime Minister Tony Blair and American President
George W. Bush. The accompanying animated video made the message impossible to
miss. Tony Blair was portrayed as essentially a lapdog of the Bush
administration, while George used the video to mock the relationship between
the two leaders. George Michael later explained that his main target was
actually Blair, whom he believed was following the United States into the Iraq
War without adequately consulting the British public. And George wasn't
finished. In 2003, he performed “The Grave,” a song originally written by Don
McLean as a protest against the Vietnam War. When George performed it on Top of
the Pops, members of his band wore anti-Blair shirts, creating another
political statement on British television. But while George was becoming increasingly
outspoken, his personal life was becoming increasingly complicated.
In February 2006, he was arrested
after being found slumped over the wheel of his car in London and was cautioned
for possession of Class C drugs. George himself admitted that the incident was
“my own stupid fault, as usual.” Later
that year, George was accused of engaging in anonymous public sex while
cruising at London's Hampstead Heath. George acknowledged the encounter but
said that his cruising was not a problem within his relationship with his
partner, Kenny Goss. Then came another, more serious incident. In October 2006,
George was found slumped behind the wheel of his car in Cricklewood. He was
later convicted of driving while unfit through drugs. In 2007, he was sentenced
to 100 hours of community service and banned from driving for two years. And
the legal troubles didn't end there. In September 2008, George was arrested in
a public toilet on Hampstead Heath for possession of drugs, including
substances believed to be crack cocaine and cannabis. He was subsequently
cautioned and released. George Michael
had spent much of his career fighting to control his own image. But by the
mid-2000s, the headlines were increasingly being written for him.
Despite everything that had
happened, George Michael wasn't finished with music. In 2008, he launched the
25 Live Tour, celebrating 25 years since the beginning of his professional
recording career. And this wasn't some small nostalgia tour. George was still
capable of filling massive venues around the world, proving that even after
years away from the spotlight, the audience hadn't forgotten him. The tour
became one of the biggest concert events of his later career and served as a
reminder that George Michael could still command a stage. But just as George
appeared to be entering another chapter of stability, his problems with the law
returned. In 2010, George was arrested after crashing his Range Rover into the
front of a Snappy Snaps photography shop in Hampstead, London. Police found
cannabis in the vehicle, and George was subsequently charged with possession of
the drug and driving while unfit through drugs. He pleaded guilty. This time,
the consequences were much more serious. George was sentenced to eight weeks in
prison. He ultimately served four weeks before being released, was fined
£1,250, and received a five-year driving ban. The incident was another major
setback for an artist who had spent years struggling to keep his personal life
from overwhelming his career. George Michael had already battled the pressures
of fame, grief, addiction, the tabloids and the law. And unfortunately, the
story wasn't over yet.
By the 2010s, George Michael's
health was beginning to take a turn. In October 2011, he was forced to cancel a
performance at London's Royal Albert Hall after coming down with a viral
infection. But things would soon become much more serious. While on his
Symphonica Tour, George became severely ill with pneumonia and was hospitalized
in Vienna. What initially appeared to be a respiratory infection became a
life-threatening ordeal. George spent weeks in the hospital, including time in
intensive care, and at one point slipped into a coma. The remaining dates of
the tour were cancelled. George eventually recovered and was discharged from
the hospital in December. When he returned home, he told reporters that the
doctors in Vienna had essentially saved his life. He later described the
experience as the worst month of his life. But George wasn't ready to walk away
from music. Just two months after leaving the hospital, he made a surprise
appearance at the 2012 Brit Awards, receiving a standing ovation before presenting
Adele with the award for British Album of the Year. Later that year, he resumed
the Symphonica Tour. He even performed at the closing ceremony of the London
2012 Olympics. In 2014, George released Symphonica, a live album featuring
performances from the tour. The album became another No. 1 in the UK, proving
that even after everything he had endured, audiences were still eager to hear
him. But George's health scare had clearly changed his perspective. He had
survived something that could have ended his life, and for a time, it seemed
like he was entering another chapter. Then, in 2016, George's management
announced that a new documentary about his life was in production. Freedom was
scheduled for release in 2017 and would revisit his career, his music, and some
of the most difficult chapters of his life. By this point, George was also in a
relationship with Fadi Fawaz, whom he had begun dating in 2012.
December 25, 2016. Fadi Fawaz had
planned to have lunch with George Michael that day. When he arrived at George's
home, he found him unresponsive in bed. Fawaz attempted to wake him, but George
wouldn't respond. After trying for some time, Fawaz called emergency services.
When police and paramedics arrived, George Michael was pronounced dead. He was
just 53 years old. Police initially said there were no foul play surrounding
his death, and his family announced the news later that evening. But there was
an eerie irony surrounding the timing. The man who had helped create one of the
world's most famous Christmas songs had died on Christmas Day. But the mystery
surrounding exactly how he died would take months to unravel. An initial
post-mortem was inconclusive, and further testing was required before the
coroner could determine the cause of death. Then, in March 2017, the final
findings were released. George Michael had died from natural causes: dilated
cardiomyopathy with myocarditis, along with fatty liver disease. That same
month, after months of waiting, George's family held a private funeral service.
George Michael was laid to rest at Highgate Cemetery in London, beside his
mother, Lesley, who had died in 1997. For the world, the story of George
Michael had seemingly come to an end. But the losses surrounding his family
didn't stop there. Exactly three years after George's death, on Christmas Day
2019, his sister Melanie had died. She was 59 years old and died from
complications related to diabetes. Three years earlier, George Michael had died
on Christmas Day. Now, on that same date, his family was mourning once again.
After George Michael's death,
tributes began pouring in from around the world. One of the first major
tributes came at the 2017 Grammy Awards. Adele was chosen to honor George by
performing “Fastlove.” But the performance didn't go according to plan. Adele
made a mistake during the song, stopped the performance and asked to start
over. It was an unusual moment for a major awards show, but Adele explained
afterward that she wanted to get it right. She didn't want to give George
Michael a tribute that wasn't good enough. The audience applauded as she
started again, and the second performance went smoothly. A few weeks later, the
BRIT Awards paid tribute to George as well. For the occasion, Andrew Ridgeley
reunited with the other members of Wham! to speak about his longtime friend and
musical partner. The man who had been beside George since they were teenagers
was now standing onstage without him. Then Coldplay's Chris Martin took the
stage and performed George's “A Different Corner.” It was a particularly fitting
choice. The song had originally been written and performed by George as a solo
artist during the final years of Wham!, and hearing it performed after his
death gave the lyrics an entirely different weight. The tributes continued
across America. At the BET Awards, El DeBarge performed a rendition of
“Careless Whisper,” one of George's most recognizable songs. And George's
friends weren't finished honoring him. Geri Halliwell, a longtime friend of
George's from his years around the Spice Girls, released a tribute song called
“Angels in Chains.” The song was inspired by George's death, and proceeds were
donated to Childline, a charity that had been important to George. George
Michael had spent decades influencing other musicians. Now, those same
musicians were showing just how much he had meant to them. And the tributes
were only the beginning. Because even after his death, George Michael's music
was about to experience a new chapter.
In the years since George Michael's
passing, one of his songs has experienced a remarkable second life. “Last
Christmas.” The Wham! holiday classic had already been a massive hit when it
was released in 1984, reaching No. 2 in the United Kingdom. But for decades, it
carried an unusual distinction. It was one of the biggest Christmas songs in
the world that had never actually reached No. 1 in the UK. Then George died.
And suddenly, “Last Christmas” began finding an entirely new audience. In 2019,
the song inspired its own feature film of the same name starring Emilia Clarke
and Henry Golding. Then, in January 2021, something happened that George and
Andrew had been waiting nearly four decades to see. “Last Christmas” finally
reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. Thirty-six years after its original release.
It set a new record at the time for the longest wait between a song's original
release and reaching No. 1. And the resurgence didn't stop there. The song
returned to No. 1 again in 2022 and pretty much the rest of the decade. And
somehow, George and Andrew weren't finished making history. In 2024, “Last
Christmas” became the first song in UK chart history to achieve the Christmas
No. 1 in consecutive years. Then came 2025. In America, “Last Christmas”
climbed all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100—its highest position ever
in the United States. And what kept it from No. 1? That other Christmas song
that tortures on the ears. But even at No. 2, the achievement was enormous.
Forty-one years after its release, “Last Christmas” had reached a new peak on
the American chart and was certified nine-times Platinum by the RIAA. The song had gone from a Christmas single
that lost the No. 1 spot in 1984 to one of the most enduring holiday records of
all time. And there's another part of the story that makes its resurgence even
more meaningful. When “Last Christmas” was originally released, George and
Andrew donated their royalties from the song to the Ethiopian famine relief
effort. George's commitment to charity didn't end with his death. Today,
royalties connected to George's music continue to support charitable causes
through the George Michael Fund, which was established to continue the
charitable work associated with his estate. In recent years, royalties from
“Last Christmas” have helped fund grants to organizations supporting children
and young people across the UK. As for Andrew Ridgeley's royalties, how he has
chosen to handle his share has not been publicly disclosed. So here we are. A
song George Michael wrote more than four decades ago continues to return to the
charts every Christmas. A song that once lost the biggest chart battle of its
era eventually became a Christmas No. 1. A song that was originally written as
a pop record became a holiday tradition. And a song whose creator died on
Christmas Day is now one of the sounds that defines the season. George Michael
may be gone. But every December, he comes back.
George Michael's story didn't stop
with his death. In fact, some of his most important stories were still being
told years later. In 2022, George Michael Freedom Uncut was released. This was
the documentary George himself had been working on before his passing,
alongside longtime collaborator David Austin. The film allowed George to tell
much of his own story in his own words, revisiting his career, his
relationships, his struggles with fame, and the moments that shaped him as an
artist. Then came one of the biggest honors of his posthumous career. In 2023,
George Michael was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And there
was perhaps no more fitting person to induct him than Andrew Ridgeley. The two
had been friends since they were teenagers, formed Wham! together, conquered
the world together, and remained close long after the group ended. Now, Andrew
was standing onstage once again—this time to induct his best friend into the
Hall of Fame. George Michael was finally receiving one of music's highest honors.
That same year, Wham! received a documentary of its own. Wham! was released and
eventually became available on Netflix, introducing the story of George and
Andrew's friendship and rise to superstardom to another generation. But the
archival George Michael material kept coming. In 2026, WHAM! 10 Days in China
revisited the duo's historic 1985 trip to China, using newly restored and
previously unseen footage to tell the story of how two young British pop stars
became the first Western pop act to perform in Communist China. The film
received strong reviews, with critics particularly praising the restored
footage and the cultural significance of the trip. And there's still more to
come. In March 2026, it was announced that George Michael: The Faith Tour would
be released in cinemas later that year. The film features never-before-seen
footage from George's 1988 Faith Tour, filmed during two concerts in Paris on
35mm film. After nearly four decades sitting in the vaults, audiences will
finally get to see George at the height of his Faith era on the big screen.
George Michael's story is difficult
to summarize. He was a pop star who became a superstar, a songwriter who wanted
his music to speak for itself, and a man who spent much of his life trying to
figure out how much of himself he was willing to give to the world. He
experienced incredible highs. He sold millions of records, topped charts around
the world, won Grammys, performed with some of the greatest artists of his
generation, and became one of the defining voices of the 1980s and 1990s. But
his story also came with incredible lows. He dealt with the loss of people he
loved, battles with his record label, struggles with addiction, legal problems,
health scares, and the constant pressure of living his life under a microscope.
Yet through all of it, he kept making music. He kept reinventing himself. And
perhaps most importantly, he eventually learned to live as himself. George
Michael died at just 53 years old. But nearly a decade later, His songs are
still being played. His story is still being told. And every Christmas, one
particular song reminds us just how powerful a legacy can be. “Last Christmas”
was written in the 1980s. It survived changing musical trends, changing
generations, and even the death of the man who wrote it. And somehow, decades
later, it became bigger than it had ever been. That might be the best way to
understand George Michael's legacy. He wasn't simply an artist who belonged to
the 1980s. He wasn't simply a former member of Wham!. He wasn't simply the man
behind “Faith,” “Careless Whisper,” “Freedom! '90,” or “Last Christmas.” He was
an artist whose music continued to evolve because he continued to evolve. And
while George Michael is no longer here to tell us what comes next, his music
continues to do it for him. The shy kid from East Finchley became one of the
biggest pop stars the world had ever seen. And even after his story ended, the
music didn't. George Michael may be gone. But he certainly hasn't been
forgotten. And as long as there is music, there will always be a little bit of
George Michael playing somewhere.
SOURCES
https://www.georgemichael.com/about/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Michael
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wham
https://www.businessinsider.com/wham-no-money-after-tour-andrew-ridgeley-george-michael-2023-7
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