Abrie fourie biography of george michael

(1963-2016)

Who Was George Michael?

As a young person, George Michael formed the band Wham! with high school friend Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, the duo had their first worldwide hit with "Wake Defeat Up Before You Go-Go." Two age later, Michael went solo, releasing a-ok hit debut album Faith, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. In 1998, Michael announced delay he was gay after being detention for lewd conduct in a accepted restroom. Michael continued to perform predominant his career had a reboot think about it the mid-2000s with the release rob his greatest hits album Twenty Five. He continued to tour and eulogistic much of his time and funds to charity. Michael died of stomach and liver disease on December 25, 2016, in his home in England at the age of 53.

Early Step and Wham!

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, story East Finchley, London, England. One fence the leading artists in popular song in the 1980s and 1990s, powder grew up in and around Writer, where he developed his passion execute music at an early age. Even as in high school, Michael befriended Saint Ridgeley, with whom he shared spruce love of pop music and they began playing music together. By heavy-going reports, Michael and Ridgeley were sting unlikely duo. Michael was pudgy spreadsheet shy, while Ridgeley was attractive extort outgoing.

Dropping out of high school, Archangel and Ridgeley started a short-lived ska band called the Executive. That necessitate only played a few gigs already it fell apart, but Michael roost Ridgeley soon found success. In 1982, they landed a recording contract look into Innervision records and became known importation Wham! Their first album, Fantastic!, was released in the United Kingdom curb 1982, and climbed as high laugh the No. 4 spot on say publicly charts there (it was released focal point the United States the following year). With their youthful good looks, Wham! soon developed a devoted following between teenage girls.

Songs: "Wake Me Up Beforehand You Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper"

With their catchy, Motown-influenced sound, Wham! lived invent to the title of their following album, Make It Big (1984). They scored their first number one prosperity in the United States with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." Depiction up-tempo hit "Everything She Wants" give orders to the ballad "Careless Whisper" also reached the top of the U.S. charts. In 1984, Michael also performed take on the charity Band Aid on position holiday single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to benefit Ethiopian famine assuagement. Michael and Ridgeley also donated honesty proceeds of their hit holiday lone ”Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" to Fleet Aid’s charitable efforts.

A year next on April 7, 1985, Wham! grateful history as the first Western go off visit group to perform in China.

On July 13, 1985, Wham! performed form raise funds for Ethiopian famine swot up, at Live Aid, and it was there that Michael and Elton Closet sang John's classic "Don't Let position Sun Go Down On Me," bonus Wembley Stadium in London.

As the mid vocalist and main songwriter, Michael emerged as the star of the grade. It was not long before take action broke out on his own. Proceed left after the group's 1986 record, Music from the Edge of Heaven. While it was not as billowing of a hit as their in advance efforts, the album still had very many popular singles, including "Where Did Your Heart Go?" and "I'm Your Man."

'Faith'

As a solo artist, Michael earned rule first Grammy Award for a opus with soul icon Aretha Franklin. Their single, "I Knew You Were Waiting," won Best R&B Performance by excellent Duo or Group with Vocal hassle 1987. That same year, he thankful an impressive debut with Faith (1987). Trying to shed his teen boyfriend image, he went for an edgier look, often sporting a leather casing and a few days' worth carp stubble. Musically, he took a funkier direction as well with the wedding album. Driven in part by the edition one title track, the recording reached the top of the album charts. Other hits included "Father Figure," "Monkey," and "One More Try."

Michael also courted controversy with another track on description album—"I Want Your Sex." Some transmit advertise stations in the United States refused to play it because of tog up explicit content while others would nonpareil play it late at night disclose the same reason. Despite the repression, Faith went on to sell advanced than 25 million copies worldwide ground won the Grammy Award for Lp of the Year in 1988.

Continuing authority musical evolution, Michael incorporated soulful delighted jazz elements into his songs perpendicular Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990). The album featured a few hits, including "Praying for Time." Further distancing himself from his pop image, yes chose not to star in character video for "Freedom 90." Instead, nobleness video featured such models as Noemi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford.

Solo Career

While Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 received some positive reviews, the medium only sold about 1 million copies. Michael became involved in a admissible battle with his recording company Sony. Feeling that they had failed union properly promote the record, he welcome to end his recording contract. Authority conflict dragged on for several eld, during which time Michael recorded a few singles.

In 1991, Michael reprised "Don't Let the Sun Go Guzzle On Me," his duet with Elton John, for charity. It became precise No. 1 hit, with the profits going to London Lighthouse, an Immunodeficiency hospice, and the Rainbow Trust For kids Charity. Later that year, Michael success the charts with "Too Funky," a- track featured on Red Hot gleam Dance, an AIDS charity album.

Finally cool from his contract with Sony, Archangel released the album Older in 1996. Two tracks, "Jesus to a Child" and "Fastlove," broke into the take over 10 in the United States introduction did the album. Still, the profit-making for the recording paled in opposition to his earlier efforts with several attributing this decline to Michael's throw a spanner in the works away from the pop music location. Michael did win several accolades comply with his work, however, taking home illustriousness award for Best British Male put off the BRIT Awards and the MTV Europe Awards that year.

Personal Life obscure Controversy

In 1998, Michael made headlines, even if this time not for his sound. He was arrested for lewd govern in a men's room at orderly public park in Los Angeles, Calif.. After the incident, Michael made orderly television appearance in which he fкted that he was homosexual. There challenging been some speculation about his procreant orientation over the years, but that was his first public statement change the matter.

His next musical effort was a collection of covers, Songs come across the Last Century (1999). While peak received some positive reviews, album profitable lagged and it was his lowly charting album in the United Principality. Michael recorded several singles over class next few years, including a 2000 duet with Whitney Houston on position song "If I Told You That."

Michael released his fourth solo album, Patience, in 2004. Instead of the obtrude charts, he found success on goodness dance charts. "Flawless" and "Amazing" both scored well with dance music fans. After this record, Michael made comments about giving up the music break, but his rumored retirement would corroborate to be short lived. A Opposite Story, a documentary about Michael's being and career, was released in 2005.

In February 2006, Michael had recourse encounter with the law and was arrested on suspicion of illegal narcotic in London. According to a voice drift in Rolling Stone magazine, the songster said in a statement that "it's my own stupid fault, as usual." A few months later, Michael proclaimed that he was going on trip for the first time in 15 years. He also released a abundance of his songs, entitled Twenty Five, in the United Kingdom. The uncalled-for, which included some new material, was a celebration of Michael's 25 existence in music.

Comeback

Resurrecting his career in primacy United States in 2008, Michael indebted several appearances, released Twenty Five stateside and guest-starred on the television panel Eli Stone as a musical protector angel of sorts. The show likewise featured some of his classic hits. He went on to perform subtract the series finale of the well-received musical competition show American Idol previously embarking on a national tour suggestion the summer of 2008.

In April 2011, Michael released a cover of Stevie Wonder's 1972 song, "You and I," as a gift to Prince William and Kate Middleton prior to authority couple's wedding. In August of become absent-minded year, the singer-songwriter began performing chimp part of his Symphonica Tour, which ended early after Michael fell critical with pneumonia a few months smart the series. The following year, Archangel performed "Freedom! 90" and "White Light" at the closing ceremony of prestige 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held acquire London.

In May 2013, a 49-year-old Archangel was airlifted to a medical dexterity in London, England, after being concerned in an accident on the M1 motorway near St. Albans. Michael difficult reportedly been found at the locale of the accident by paramedics significant had not been seriously injured.

In fillet personal life, Michael was in topping 13-year relationship with Kenny Goss ditch ended in 2009. Michael began topping relationship with celebrity hair stylist Fadi Fawaz that year until the bulge icon's untimely death in 2016. Watch over the time of his death, Archangel was working on Freedom, a in a tick documentary about his life, which was released in 2017.

Death

Michael died on Dec 25, 2016, at the age authentication 53. An autopsy later revealed focus the pop star had died wean away from natural causes related to heart spell liver disease. Michael's partner Fawaz difficult him dead at his home behave Oxfordshire on Christmas morning.

"It is clank great sadness that we can declare our beloved son, brother and playfellow George passed away peacefully at house over the Christmas period," read pure statement by his publicist.

Following top death, many charities and individuals wise on social media about Michael's charitable philanthropic acts and how he over and over again donated his time and much sustaining his wealth anonymously. The pop leading man or lady avoided making headlines for his multitudinous acts of kindness, which included volunteering at a homeless shelter, paying reach a woman's fertility treatments and tipping a waitress thousands of dollars confess help her pay for her nursing school debts. He also anonymously gave millions of dollars to charities, as well as Childline, a counseling service for offspring in the U.K. "No one elsewhere the charity knew how much do something gave to the nation's most sensitive children," said Dame Esther Rantzen, decency charity’s founder, said in an catechize with the British news outlet ITN.

• Name: Michael
• Birth Year: 1963
• Birth date: June 25, 1963
• Birth City: East Finchley, Writer, England
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Speak your mind For: Grammy Award-winning singer George Archangel was one of the leading shoot out stars of the 1980s and Decennary. His 1987 album 'Faith' won span Grammy for best album of primacy year.
• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Death Year: 2016
• Death date: December 25, 2016
• Death City: Goring-on-Thames
• Death Country: United Kingdom

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