George Michael

George Michael, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on 25 June 1963, was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Widely regarded as a pop culture icon, he became one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. He achieved recognition as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation.

Born in East Finchley, Middlesex, Michael was the youngest child and only son of Kyriacos Panayiotou, a Greek Cypriot restaurateur, and Lesley Angold, an English dancer. He spent much of his childhood in Kingsbury, attending Roe Green Junior School and Kingsbury High School, before his family moved to Radlett during his early teens. While attending Bushey Meads School, he befriended Andrew Ridgeley. Before achieving fame, Michael worked as a DJ and formed a short-lived ska band called the Executive.

In 1981, Michael and Ridgeley formed the pop duo Wham!, and Michael legally changed his name to George Michael. The duo achieved rapid success with their UK number-one debut album Fantastic in 1983 and their US number-one follow-up Make It Big in 1984. Wham! produced numerous hit singles, including Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go and Last Christmas. In April 1985, Wham! made history as the first Western popular music act to tour China. Michael also participated in Band Aid's 1984 charity single Do They Know It's Christmas? and performed at the 1985 Live Aid concert.

Following Wham!'s official separation in 1986, Michael launched his solo career. In early 1987, he released the UK and US number-one duet I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) with Aretha Franklin. His debut solo studio album, Faith, was released later that year. The album topped charts internationally, generated four US number-one singles, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Michael supported the release with the Faith Tour in 1988.

Michael's second studio album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, was released in 1990 and topped the UK Albums Chart. He went on to release several more multimillion-selling albums, including Older, Patience, and the compilation Twenty Five. Between 2006 and 2008, he completed the 25 Live tour. Despite health challenges in 2011, when he recovered from a coma brought on by pneumonia, Michael continued performing until his final concert at London's Earls Court in 2012.

Throughout his career, Michael earned 10 US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 13 UK number-one singles. His accolades include two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and three Ivor Novello Awards. He came out as gay in 1998 and actively campaigned for LGBTQ rights and HIV/AIDS charities. Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. He died of heart disease at his home in Goring-on-Thames on 25 December 2016.