George Michael

In 1998, George Michael came into news when he was arrested for “lewd” conduct in a public restroom at a park in Los Angeles. After the incident, he stated on the television that he was homosexual.

In February 2006, he had another encounter with the law, when he was arrested on suspicion of having illegal drugs in possession. In July 2006, he was accused of engaging in public sex at London's Hampstead Heath. In 2008, he was again arrested for possession of Class A and C drugs.

He was in a long-term relationship with Kenny Goss, an ex-flight attendant and sportswear executive. They broke up in 2009. In 2012, he began a relationship with celebrity hair stylist Fadi Fawaz, which continued till his death in 2016.

George Michael was born on June 25, 1963, in East Finchley, London. His father, Kyriacos Panayiotou, was a Greek Cypriot who immigrated to England in the 1950s. He was the owner of a restaurant. His mother, Lesley Angold, an English woman, was a professional dancer. He had two elder sisters, Yioda and Melanie.

He grew up in Kingsbury, London, where his parents had bought a house. He attended Roe Green Junior School and Kingsbury High School.

When his family moved to Radlett, he attended Bushey Meads School in Bushey, where he befriended Andrew Ridgeley. The two bonded as both wanted to pursue careers in music. He worked as a DJ and played at local clubs and schools.

Michael and Andrew both dropped out of high school and formed a band called The Executive. The band was short-lived; it could play only a few gigs before it was disbanded.

In 1981, George Michael formed the band Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley. They released their first album ‘Fantastic’ on July 9, 1983, which reached No. 1 in the UK. The pop duo then produced a series of singles including ‘Young Guns’, ‘Wham Rap!’ and ‘Club Tropicana’, all of which became popular Top 10 hits.

Their second album, ‘Make It Big’, was released in 1984. It reached No. 1 in the US, the UK, and Australia. Many of its singles individually became quite popular not only in the UK and the US, but also in 23 other countries. In 1985, he bagged his first Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

Wham!'s tour of China in April 1985 made history, as they were the first British band to visit Communist China and perform Western popular music. Before Wham!'s tour to China, many kinds of music were banned in the country. Thus, their visit attracted worldwide media coverage for Wham!

As the lead vocalist and the main songwriter of Wham!, Michael was getting more attention and popularity. In 1986, after the recording of ‘Music from the Edge of Heaven’, he parted ways with the group to start a solo career.

In 1987, he earned his first Grammy Award as a solo artist for the duet ‘I Knew You Were Waiting’, with American singer Aretha Franklin. The single reached number one on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.

George Michael’s first solo album ‘Faith’ sold more than 25 million copies despite the ban on the single ‘I Want Your Sex’. Due to its sexually suggestive lyrics, many radio stations in the UK and the US banned the song. MTV broadcast the video only during the late night hours. The song reached the American Top 40 chart and featured at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

His solo album ‘Without Prejudice Vol. 1’ was also a major hit. He incorporated soul and jazz elements in the songs. With this album, he tried to create for himself a reputation of a serious singer and songwriter. He did not embark on any campaigns to promote the album nor did he release any music videos. The album was certified 4×platinum in the UK, selling 1.5 million copies in the UK alone and 8 million worldwide.