George Michael, superstar and the honeyed voice behind hits such as Last Christmas, Careless Whisper, passed away on Christmas morning due to heart failure. He was 53.
“It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend, George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period,” his representative said in a statement to the BBC. “The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time. There will be no further comment at this stage.”
Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in London on June 25, 1963, the singer’s musical talents appeared early on in childhood. He spent time busking on the London Underground, where he performed songs by Elton John, David Bowie, and The Beatles.
Michael rose to fame with Wham!, a pop group he formed with close friend Andrew Ridgely. While his group efforts were dismissed by critics as disposable pop, his solo efforts received much more praise.
His debut solo album Faith sold more than ten million copies, and established the singer as a strong musical force. His racy first single I want your sex was banned by some radio stations due to its suggestive lyrics. Its music video was only allowed to play late-night, and yet the single shot to No 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, indicative of the kind of superstar status that was bestowed upon the then twenty something George Michael.
Michael’s subsequent solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1, released in September 1990. It did not feature any music videos but still rocketed to the top of the billboard with hit singles like Praying For Time and Freedom 90. However, the singer felt that his music label Sony did not promote this album. This led to years of discord and a protracted legal battle that ended in 1995.
While his provocative look and raunchy music videos together established his sex symbol status with the women, Michael was deeply closeted, and did not announce it publicly till 2007. It was only in 1998, following a widely publicised arrest in LA for ‘engaging in lewd acts’ that the public came to know about his orientation.
But instead of making excuses for his behaviour, he went on to release a single, Outside, that made light of the charges against him and mocked the Los Angeles police who had arrested him.
Like all of his efforts at the time, it sold in prodigious numbers, helping him put the incident behind him. The arrest also prompted him to speak openly about his sexual orientation. This was followed by a series of controversial run-ins with the Police. During one such incident in 2008, Michael apologised to his fans, and promised to change.
“I want to apologize to my fans for screwing up again, and to promise them I’ll sort myself out. And to say sorry to everybody else, just for boring them.”
Throughout his career, Michael’s career was characterised by prolific drug use and frequent clashes with the media. A year earlier, he had told a Television interviewer that his problems stemmed from a self-destructive streak and his attention-seeking nature.
He had become increasingly reclusive in his final years, and was said to be on the cusp of releasing his sixth album.
Fellow musicians and entertainers paid rich tributes to the late singer.
With Prince, Bowie and George Michael gone an 80’s queer pop trifecta is no more ?
— PWR BTTM (@PWRBTTMBAND) December 25, 2016
Had the pleasure of knowing George Michael in the 80s. Voice of an angel. Now he can sing for them.
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) December 26, 2016
