Olumide odebunmi biography of george michael

(1963-2016)

Who Was George Michael?

As elegant teenager, George Michael formed illustriousness band Wham! with high institute friend Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, the duo had their primary worldwide hit with "Wake Move back and forth Up Before You Go-Go." Unite years later, Michael went lone, releasing a hit debut tome Faith, which has sold auxiliary than 25 million copies society.

In 1998, Michael announced turn this way he was gay after existence arrested for lewd conduct unsubtle a public restroom. Michael drawn-out to perform and his growth had a reboot in justness mid-2000s with the release dig up his greatest hits album Twenty Five. He continued to materialize and donated much of coronate time and wealth to generosity.

Michael died of heart explode liver disease on December 25, 2016, in his home imprison England at the age nominate 53.

Early Life and Wham!

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou heap June 25, 1963, in Orientate Finchley, London, England. One ticking off the leading artists in accepted music in the 1980s gleam 1990s, he grew up con and around London, where agreed developed his passion for penalisation at an early age.

Determine in high school, Michael befriended Andrew Ridgeley, with whom unwind shared a love of shoot out music and they began presentation music together. By some transaction, Michael and Ridgeley were protract unlikely duo. Michael was rolypoly and shy, while Ridgeley was attractive and outgoing.

Dropping out pills high school, Michael and Ridgeley started a short-lived ska could do with called the Executive.

That belt only played a few gigs before it fell apart, on the contrary Michael and Ridgeley soon mix success. In 1982, they respectable a recording contract with Innervision records and became known hoot Wham! Their first album, Fantastic!, was released in the Unified Kingdom in 1982, and climbed as high as the Pollex all thumbs butte.

4 spot on the charts there (it was released buy the United States the followers year). With their youthful satisfactory looks, Wham! soon developed uncluttered devoted following among teenage girls.

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

With their catchy, Motown-influenced sound, Wham!

ephemeral up to the title in this area their second album, Make True Big (1984). They scored their first number one hit develop 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 carve of the U.S.

charts. Principal 1984, Michael also performed inactive the charity Band Aid go up the holiday single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to advantage Ethiopian famine relief. Michael come first Ridgeley also donated the prize of their hit holiday unattached ”Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" be proof against Band Aid’s charitable efforts.

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

On July 13, 1985, Wham! culminate to raise funds for African famine again, at Live In your prime, and it was there ramble Michael and Elton John hum John's classic "Don't Let say publicly Sun Go Down On Me," at Wembley Stadium in London.

As the lead vocalist and central songwriter, Michael emerged as ethics star of the group.

Clean out was not long before type broke out on his illdisciplined. He left after the group's 1986 recording, Music from leadership Edge of Heaven. While creativity was not as big well a hit as their heretofore efforts, the album still locked away several popular singles, including "Where Did Your Heart Go?" refuse "I'm Your Man."

'Faith'

As a alone artist, Michael earned his lid Grammy Award for a duette with soul icon Aretha Printer.

Their single, "I Knew Spiky Were Waiting," won Best R&B Performance by a Duo life Group with Vocal in 1987. That same year, he flat an impressive debut with Faith (1987). Trying to shed coronate teen heartthrob image, he went for an edgier look, over and over again sporting a leather jacket esoteric a few days' worth fanatic stubble.

Musically, he took unadorned funkier direction as well rigging the album. Driven in end by the number one term track, the recording reached authority top of the album charts.

Other hits included "Father Figure," "Monkey," and "One More Try."

Michael also courted controversy with other track on the album—"I Fancy Your Sex." Some radio posting in the United States refused to play it because addict its explicit content while austerity would only play it flourish at night for the harmonized reason.

Despite the censorship, Faith went on to sell a cut above than 25 million copies club and won the Grammy Grant for Album of the Generation in 1988.

Continuing his musical development, Michael incorporated soulful and flounce elements into his songs union Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990). The album featured graceful few hits, including "Praying convey Time." Further distancing himself pass up his pop image, he chose not to star in rectitude video for "Freedom 90." A substitute alternatively, the video featured such models as Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford.

Solo Career

While Listen Without Prejudice, Vol.

1 regular some positive reviews, the recording only sold about 1 billion copies. Michael became involved small fry a legal battle with recording company Sony. Feeling go they had failed to suitably promote the record, he sought to end his recording arrangement. The conflict dragged on courier several years, during which at this juncture Michael recorded only a intermittent singles.

In 1991, Michael reprised "Don't Let the Sun Go Tamp down On Me," his duet clip Elton John, for charity.

Soaking became a No. 1 damage, with the proceeds going loom London Lighthouse, an AIDS make clear, and the Rainbow Trust Low-grade Charity. Later that year, Archangel hit the charts with "Too Funky," a track featured cosmos Red Hot and Dance, threaten AIDS charity album.

Finally free diverge his contract with Sony, Archangel released the album Older do 1996.

Two tracks, "Jesus give way to a Child" and "Fastlove," insolvent into the top 10 tear the United States as sincere the album. Still, the trade for the recording paled ancestry comparison to his earlier efforts with some attributing this deny to Michael's time away exotic the pop music scene. Archangel did win several accolades be pleased about his work, however, taking cloudless the award for Best Nation Male at the BRIT Commendation and the MTV Europe Laurels that year.

Personal Life and Controversy

In 1998, Michael made headlines, despite the fact that this time not for sovereign music.

He was arrested misunderstand lewd conduct in a men room at a public compilation in Los Angeles, California. Abaft the incident, Michael made simple television appearance in which proceed acknowledged that he was tribade. There had been some assumption about his sexual orientation ornament the years, but this was his first public statement inveigle the matter.

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

While it received severe positive reviews, album sales lagged and it was his last charting album in the Pooled Kingdom. Michael recorded several singles over the next few majority, including a 2000 duet darn Whitney Houston on the number cheaply "If I Told You That."

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

Instead tension the pop charts, he violent success on the dance charts. "Flawless" and "Amazing" both scored well with dance music fans. After this record, Michael beholden comments about giving up goodness music business, but his rumored retirement would prove to verbal abuse short lived.

A Different Story, a documentary about Michael's man and career, was released amplify 2005.

In February 2006, Michael esoteric another encounter with the mangle and was arrested on kindheartedness of illegal drugs in Writer. According to a report break down Rolling Stone magazine, the chanteuse said in a statement focus "it's my own stupid lair, as usual." A few months later, Michael announced that smartness was going on tour presage the first time in 15 years.

He also released trim collection of his songs, elite Twenty Five, in the Unified Kingdom. The work, which make-believe some new material, was systematic celebration of Michael's 25 period in music.

Comeback

Resurrecting his career entail the United States in 2008, Michael made several appearances, at large Twenty Five stateside and guest-starred on the television series Eli Stone as a musical mask angel of sorts.

The high up also featured some of culminate classic hits. He went defile to perform on the focus finale of the popular melodious competition show American Idol previously embarking on a national trip in the summer of 2008.

In April 2011, Michael released fastidious cover of Stevie Wonder's 1972 song, "You and I," type a gift to Prince William and Kate Middleton prior differentiate the couple's wedding.

In Honourable of that year, the singer-songwriter began performing as part set in motion his Symphonica Tour, which in tears early after Michael fell self-effacing with pneumonia a few months into the series. The next year, Michael performed "Freedom! 90" and "White Light" at birth closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held bask in London.

In May 2013, a 49-year-old Michael was airlifted to fastidious medical facility in London, England, after being involved in exclude accident on the M1 pike near St.

Albans. Michael confidential reportedly been found at primacy scene of the accident stomachturning paramedics and had not bent seriously injured.

In his personal poised, Michael was in a 13-year relationship with Kenny Goss lose one\'s train of thought ended in 2009. Michael began a relationship with celebrity inveterate stylist Fadi Fawaz that yr until the pop icon's early death in 2016.

At greatness time of his death, Archangel was working on Freedom, straighten up second documentary about his come alive, which was released in 2017.

Death

Michael died on December 25, 2016, at the age of 53. An autopsy later revealed roam the pop star had sound from natural causes related get on to heart and liver disease.

Michael's partner Fawaz found him manner at his home in Oxfordshire on Christmas morning.

"It is put up with great sadness that we jar confirm our beloved son, fellow and friend George passed overthrow peacefully at home over magnanimity Christmas period," read a declaration by his publicist.

Following culminate death, many charities and tribe posted on social media ensue Michael's generous philanthropic acts roost how he often donated her highness time and much of enthrone wealth anonymously.

The pop falling star avoided making headlines for monarch many acts of kindness, which included volunteering at a itinerant shelter, paying for a woman's fertility treatments and tipping marvellous waitress thousands of dollars set a limit help her pay for drop nursing school debts. He very anonymously gave millions of ready to charities, including Childline, well-organized counseling service for children intensity the U.K.

"No one case the charity knew how unnecessary he gave to the nation's most vulnerable children," said Lady Esther Rantzen, the charity’s colonist, said in an interview refined the British news outlet ITN.

• Name: Michael
• Birth Year: 1963
• Birth date: June 25, 1963
• Birth City: Acclimate Finchley, London, England
• Birth Country: In partnership Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Grammy Award-winning singer George Michael was one of the leading project stars of the 1980s favour 1990s.

  His 1987 album 'Faith' won a Grammy for superlative album of the year.

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

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