George Michael Biography - singer, composer, memory. George Michael biography

GEORGE MICHAEL'S LAST CHRISTMAS

Everything he ever put his efforts into was amazingly stylish and in a very short time became a kind of classic in pop music.

After a protracted period of deep crisis in the first half of the 1990s, he confirmed his writing and performing skills with the album “Older”.

The beginning of George Michael's journey

Georgios Kyriakos Panayiotou, whom everyone knows by his name, was born in 1963 in North London. He was the youngest child of a former Cypriot father who emigrated to Britain in the 1950s and his native English wife. My father worked as a restorer and remembered raising children only after he had dug through old stuff to his heart’s content. Georgios was closely looked after by his older sisters Yoda and Melanie, and there was no talk of any formation of male character.

The future was not always so handsome and hardly suspected of his multiple talents, but for 7 years he dreamed of becoming a pop star, without having the slightest idea how to achieve this. At the insistence of parents the guy was forced to take classical violin lessons, which for the left-hander turned into seven years of tearful torment. He loved American soul music, respected and sometimes visited London dance clubs, but was too shy to join the heated crowd. At the age of 12, he was attracted by the romance of a pilot’s career, but his classmates, having learned about his dreams, said that myopic, color-blind people had no place at the controls of an airplane. Georgios was really not good at distinguishing the shades of some colors and soon began to wear glasses on his nose.

Successful meeting

And he would have remained a worthless, absent-minded, bespectacled man if in 1975 he had not met Andrew Ridgeley, his new classmate, half English, half Egyptian, who was assigned to help Georgios at school. Soon Yogi, as Panayiota was called in the family, went on a strict diet, lost a dozen extra pounds and changed his glasses to more comfortable contact lenses.

Tangible progress entailed frequent absenteeism from school, when, together with his friend David Austin, they entertained passengers on the London Underground. David played a 12-string guitar, and Georgios performed songs by Elton John, and even a few of his own.

At the age of 16, Andrew and Georgios formed the backbone of the school group The Executive. But their only hit was the song “Rude Boy” and the team very quickly broke up. However, it was during these years that Georgios and Andrew wrote the initial repertoire for their breakthrough as part of the future phenomenal pop duo Wham!.

George Michael and Wham!

And Andrew Ridgeley signed a contract with the young label Innervision Records. And for the next year and a half they began to storm the English and American charts with energetic and “easy-going” singles. Finally, their debut album “Fantastic” was released in Britain in 1982. But, seeing the growing demand for their recordings (under the contract, the band members received a tiny portion of the royalties), they entered into a new, much fairer contract with Epic.

with Andrew Ridgeley

Up until mid-1986, Wham! bathed in glory and were idols for the female half of humanity. Their second album, Make It Big, sold over 5 million copies and made pop history as the first album of the 1980s with three singles reaching number one on the UK national charts. They became the first Western group to play several concerts in communist China in April 1985. It is noteworthy that it was forbidden to export foreign currency from China, and the British were quite seriously offered to receive a fee for performing with bicycles.

New singles “Last Christmas” and “I’m Your Man” proved that the group was at the peak of its popularity, but the duo soon announced the end of their existence. It remained in the memory of contemporaries as the most commercially successful pop project of the 1980s, which became widely famous for its charity work. Who would have thought that “Last Christmas” would become not only one of the best singles written by George Michael, but also, in a sense, prophetic in the singer’s life.

Solo career

During the band's triumph in the summer of 1984, the song "Careless Whisper" became Michael's debut single as a solo artist. He wrote this heartfelt ballad as a naive 17-year-old boy, and the world fell in love with this melancholic genius, learning how early the most beautiful human qualities of a fully mature man manifested themselves in him. For this song in 1985, from the hands of his idol Elton John, Michael received an Ivor Novello statuette and became the youngest person ever awarded the title of best author of the year, and Elton also called him “the greatest author of his generation.”

He “went solo” for the second time in 1986, when another of his ballads “A Different Corner” appeared, just before the breakup of the group, the single also topped the British charts, and the further stylistic movement of George’s songs seemed a done deal. He chose a more sophisticated musical direction for his solo work - soul and began to single-handedly manage his career.

George Michael free swimming

His first step into the unknown was the recording of the song “For Me” in a duet with black soul diva Aretha Franklin, who had never worked with white vocalists before. The song turned out to be very touching and, after achieving the highest places in the charts, its performers received a Grammy statuette in the category “Best Rhythm and Blues Vocals.”

However, the first single from Michael's debut solo album was unexpectedly banned from airing by the BBC and a third of American radio stations due to overly explicit lyrics. But despite this, he again gave him 1st place in Britain, and second in the USA, and sold more than a million copies. In general, at that time George found greater understanding in America. But in Britain, his talents were deservedly appreciated in 1988 with another Grammy statuette in the “Best Vocalist of the Year” category. And he always considered his greatest and most important achievement to be the fact that he became the first white vocalist whose album topped the Billboard hit parade of “black” music.

Dark career streaks

The world tour in support of the album “Faith” touched cities in Europe, Australia and North America. However, he nearly had to cancel half of his European concerts when a medical examination revealed that a cyst had suddenly appeared on the right side of his vocal cords. Urgent surgery was required failing which Michael could have serious voice problems. Fortunately, everything went great, although George celebrated his 25th birthday in a hospital bed. In any case, he was not bored, because more than one and a half million postcards from all over the world were sent to his room with wishes for a speedy recovery.

However, despite the fact that he recorded a truly unparalleled example of the success of “Faith,” CBS/Epic, which by that time had already been bought by the Japanese giant Sony, decided to take revenge on the artist for his liberties in the selection of the repertoire and such fashionable things as video clips, and did very little promotion for the album. According to the most conservative estimates of experts, it cost Michael half of his potential sales.

But he was not going to put up with such unceremonious treatment. His protracted war with Sony began. He spent the next two years in courts and commissions considering his claim against the company, which, in his opinion, fettered creative impulses hand and foot. Legal costs alone cost one of the wealthiest musicians in Britain about $7 million, and how much nerve was spent!

with Elton John

It was clear from the very beginning that he would lose, otherwise hundreds of other musicians would have had a good precedent for fighting for their rights with the almighty labels. And in 1994, judge Jonathan Parker gave the victory to Sony. Then Michael announced that he would not record any more songs on this label. In 1995, a compromise solution was found after Sony set a buyout of $40 million. was released from the contract and lost the rights to all his songs released there. The buyout was financed by his new label, Dreamworks.

George Michael is first again

Feeling the smell of freedom, George implemented all the ideas accumulated over the past 6 years in the album “Older” in less than a year. The first 7-minute January single “Jesus To A Child” topped the British charts in the first week of its release, and “Fastlove” and the album itself, which arrived in May, completed the defeat of Sony’s last hopes for Michael’s failure. The Englishman's new songs allowed him to experience a rebirth, and after an 11-year break he was again named best performer at the Brit Awards.

At the same time, George, together with his cousin Andreas Georgiou, founded the Aegean Records label, which now records dozens of young artists. He threw himself into his work after a series of misfortunes that haunted the musician (the death of his mother from cancer and several close friends, including Princess Diana). Subsequently, his sexual orientation also became clear. After being harassed by the tabloid press, he was forced to admit his homosexuality. Dozens of helicopters were circling over his house, strange people were on duty at the fence, and the musician simply could not withstand the moral pressure. In any case, all this fuss about his sex life was not justified, and he was very angry at the newspapers that disparaged him.

Forever free George Michael

A candid documentary about his life, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, according to George Michael, was an attempt to tell the whole truth about before his final retirement from show business. The film "Another Story" traces the singer's rise to fame and fortune. After the premiere, the musician told reporters that it was important for him to explain himself to the audience who loved him before he left the stage. In the 100-minute film, the singer talks about his personal life, the death of his lover from AIDS and the media fury over his negative attitude towards the war in Iraq.

After some time, he announced that he was leaving the recording industry and would now distribute his songs for free - via the Internet. The multimillionaire musician said that he would never again create another album to sell, because from now on he does not need either money or fame.

During a concert tour in 2007, he gave concerts for the first time in Moscow and Kyiv.

In September 2010, he was sentenced to 8 weeks' imprisonment for driving under the influence of drugs and fined £1,250 for possession of cannabis.

Updated: June 25, 2017 by: Elena

Legendary British singer, two-time Grammy Award winner.

Giorgios Kyriakos Panayiotou (Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου), known as George Michael(George Michael), born in the summer of 1963 in London. His father, restaurateur Kyriakos Panayiotou, emigrated from Greece to Britain in the 1950s and took the name Jack Panos. His mother Leslie Angold was a dancer.

George Michael spent his childhood in north London. He met a friend at school Andrew Ridgeley, and both agreed that they needed to conquer the world stage.

The creative path of George Michael / George Michael

George Michael was the best DJ at school parties and in clubs in Watford, and Andrew Ridgeley invited him to create a ska group called The Executive. However, the group did not find the proper response from the public, and the musicians decided to perform as a duet. So in the early 1980s the project was born « Wham!» , created George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.

The aspiring musicians were real hedonists, which appealed to their listeners - their singles “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” and “Last Christmas” were a huge success. In 1986, the song “The Edge of Heaven” took the leading position in the UK national chart, but the group “Wham!” broke up and the musicians began solo careers.

Autumn 1987 George Michael presented his debut album “Faith”, which gained recognition thanks to the funk single “Freedom”. This record broke all sales records in the United States, but the subsequent conflict overshadowed his creative career. George Michael.

The artist said that Sony is investing too little money in promoting his second album, “Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1", and the matter went to trial. Lawsuit George Michael remained unsatisfied, but the singer did not give up - he stopped working on his records until his contract with the company terminated.

By the time the third album “Older” was presented in 1996, George Michael managed to record a duet with Elton John “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”, take part in a Queen concert and sign an agreement with the Virgin Records label. The hits "Jesus to a Child" and "Fastlove" were particularly well received in the UK.

The compilation album Ladies And Gentlemen: The Best Of George Michael was released in 1998, but its sales declined sharply after George Michael was forced to admit that he has a non-traditional sexual orientation.

The singer was arrested by an undercover police officer for sexual assault in a public restroom in a Beverly Hills park. The friction between George Michael and Marcelo Rodriguez continued for a long time, and the singer even released a video clip Outside, clearly demonstrating what actually happened in a public toilet in the spring of 1998.

In the early 2000s George Michael tried to regain his former popularity thanks to the compositions “Freeek!” and “Shoot The Dog.” The latter became a satire on the politics of the United States. In the spring of 2004 the album George Michael"Patience" started at the top of the UK charts.

In 2006 George Michael presented the single An Easier Affair and released another collection dedicated to the twenty-fifth anniversary of his career. A year before this event, George Michael acted as a screenwriter for the film “George Michael: A Different Story,” which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival.

On December 31, 2006, George Michael performed at Vladimir Potanin's celebration and earned a record amount of three million dollars.

In the fall of 2010, the singer went to prison for a short time because he was driving while under the influence of drugs and had marijuana in his trunk. The artist's vehicle rammed into a store in north London.

Summer 2011 George Michael went on the long-awaited world tour Symphonica Tour across Europe, but the next performance in Austria had to be canceled - George Michael was diagnosed with pneumonia, but the singer was able to overcome the disease. In the summer of 2012, despite skeptical statements from doctors, George Michael recorded the song White Light.

It was the hit White Light that George Michael performed during the closing of the Summer Olympic Games in London, after which he resumed his tour.

At the beginning of 2014, the artist announced that he was ready to present his sixth solo album entitled Symphonica, which will include 14 compositions.

Personal life of George Michael / George Michael

In one of the interviews George Michael stated that he was afraid to admit his sexual orientation because of his mother’s unpredictable reaction. When he turned nineteen, fellow musicians learned that George Michael– bisexual.

During the wild popularity of the duet “Wham!” I slept with women... But after the breakup of the group, I couldn’t come to my senses for a long time. Including because it was then that I realized that I was gay, not bisexual.

In 1991 George Michael met Brazilian designer Anselmo Feleppa at a concert in Rio. After six months of a whirlwind romance, lover George Michael I found out that I am a carrier of HIV infection. In 1993, Anselmo Feleppa died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

George Michael dedicated the single Jesus to a Child to his beloved man, after which he experienced another loss - his mother passed away.

It is difficult to convey what a stone lay on my heart in those days. I was looking for a balance between a cup of coffee at Starbucks and marijuana, and I settled for that. Then I barely survived a terrible accident... Although if this huge truck had killed me, I would have been happy. Do you know why? I have given the world so much quality music that I can safely leave this world. My ego is fine.

In 1996, George Michael began dating former cheerleader and athlete Kenny Goss. They lived in two houses - in north London, and in Dallas, Kenny's homeland. In November 2005, it became known that the couple wanted to officially register their relationship in the UK, but postponed the ceremony due to the upcoming tour.

In August 2011, George Michael admitted that he and Kenny Goss separated in 2009. In July 2006 George Michael found himself at the center of another sex scandal: he was arrested while having public sex with a 58-year-old van driver in Hampstead Heath Park, London.

In May 2013, George Michael was involved in an accident. The accident occurred at night at the intersection of the London ring road and the M1 highway.

On December 26, 2016, British media reported the death of George Michael. Singer George Michael died on December 25, 2016. He was 53 years old.

Famous Artist Manager Michael Lippman reported that the cause of death was heart failure. The singer’s representatives also said that George Michael "passed away peacefully at home" and the singer's many fans were told that his "family requests privacy during this emotional and difficult time."

• Discography of George Michael / George Michael

  TBA, 2013
• Twenty Five, 2006
• Patience, 2004
• Songs from the Last Century, 1999
• Ladies And Gentlemen: The Best Of George Michael, 1998
• Older, 1996
• Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, 1990
• Faith, 1987

The world remembers the legendary singer George Michael as a scandalous and brilliant person. The press has repeatedly discussed his sex scandals and police antics, drug addiction and homosexuality, while fans carefully collect records and records of his hits that conquered the whole world. Lime has collected 10 interesting facts about the life of pop music legend George Michael - only close people.

1. Greek by birth, George (real name Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou) chose the name Michael as his pseudonym because he liked the name of his friend's father childhood. The first twenty thousand copies of his album "Wham Rap!" came out with his real name on the cover - George Panayiotou. And at this stage he realized that it was time to choose a sonorous pseudonym and named himself in honor of a certain Michael Mortimer, the father of his friend.

2. George showed an interest in music from childhood: he bought his very first record at only 10 years old, and it was an album by Carly Simone. A the very first concert, which George was lucky enough to attend, was Sir Elton John's at Earls Court in 1975 - George Michael was only 12 years old and then he did not know that much later, in 1991, they would record the duet song Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me.

3. The singer did not immediately think about a musical career: at the age of 12, George Michael dreamed of becoming a pilot, however, vision problems did not give him the opportunity to become a long-haul navigator, as doctors discovered he was color blind - much to his disappointment and fortunately for his million-strong army of fans and the world of music in general.

4. During his school years, young George Michael was an exemplary student for some time, before he was overcome by a passion for music and his studies faded into the background. The boy was easily given all the subjects, but he had a favorite one, with which he even thought about connecting his future. This subject was mathematics. George's interest in this subject was also fueled by falling in love with a young math teacher, which he constantly dreamed about right in her lessons.

5. During his school years, George Michael, by his own admission, was a terrible dancer and was embarrassed to go to discos. His best friend began to teach him how to dance, and as a result, not a trace remained of his former shyness and clumsiness.

6. Before he started playing drums in his first band, young George dreamed of becoming a professional DJ.

7. Since his school years, the singer did not disdain any work in order to earn a pretty penny, and grew up as a fairly independent and responsible guy. In early childhood George Michael worked as a babysitter at the neighbors. Later, the singer for some time worked as a construction worker, a DJ and even a ticket taker in a cinema.

8. George Michael began to show interest in men in his youth, but he dated girls - according to him, he was attracted to the female sex, but he did not see himself in a serious relationship with them, since emotionally he was gay, which I realized quite early. The singer hid the fact of his homosexuality for a very long time only because he did not know how his mother would react.

9. In addition to the talent of a composer, he also has businessman talent: He inherited his commercial spirit from his father. George had an excellent eye for works of art and invested his money in buying paintings, which over time doubled or even tripled in price. George Michael also knew a lot about real estate: he had houses in different parts of the world, which he bought quite profitably at one time and rented out for a tidy sum. George's investment portfolio also includes exclusive beauty salons, restaurants, a football team, perfume and fashion lines and a vodka brand.

10. George Michael is one of those who did not change with the acquisition of high status and money towards people and was very generous with those around him. One of George's managers once said that if you don't have a car and you accidentally tell George about it, you'll have one the next day. In addition to relatives and friends, George did not forget about those who needed help and was actively involved in charity work, supporting various foundations.

Let us remind you that the legendary British singer George Michael died at the age of 54, according to preliminary data, from heart failure. Over the course of his creative career, he has released six solo albums and received numerous music awards, including three Grammy Awards and five MTV Awards.

The legendary British singer, formerly of Wham! George Michael was born on June 25, 1963 in the UK, in the city of Finchley, which is located in North London. In fact, the name George Michael is nothing more than a stage name, since in reality the artist bore the name Georgios Kyriakos Panayiotou.

George's father, Kyriakos Panayiotou, was a Cypriot who emigrated to Britain in the 50s and married an Englishwoman, Leslie Angold Harrison. His father ran a small restaurant with Greek cuisine, and his mother was a dancer.

In addition to George, the family had two more children - sisters Melanie and Yoda, who were older than him. As a result, it was the sisters who were involved in raising the child, since the parents did not have time for this due to being very busy at work.

The image of a sex symbol in adulthood runs counter to what the singer was like as a child - George Michael was forced to wear glasses due to poor eyesight; his build could not be called athletic, which is why he was constantly attacked by his peers. To all the problems was added the need to learn to play the violin, which the future star really did not like.

Michael wanted to become a star since childhood, literally from the age of 7, but playing the violin did not bring much pleasure, especially since he was left-handed. At that time, George repeated or tried to reproduce all the tunes he heard on the radio. The father did not share his son’s hobbies, unlike his mother, who provided the strongest support in his career and gave him a voice recorder with a recording function.

The group Queen and had a strong influence on the singer and his further style. A sharp change in life came after moving to Hertfordshire, entering a new school and meeting Andrew Ridgeley, who had Egyptian roots. The acquaintance happened in 1975; Ridgeley was specially assigned to Michael to help him get comfortable. This became a turning point in the artist’s life.

Music

The singer has changed a lot in appearance, stopped wearing glasses, and lost weight. A revision of his attitude towards himself and life became the reason that Michael developed new hobbies, which left no room for study.

Instead of lessons, Michael, Ridgeley and mutual friend David Austin gathered at the Green Park subway station to entertain passengers with covers of Beatles songs and their own creations. Gradually this grew into the formation of the group The Executive. In addition to those listed, the team included Andrew Leaver and Paul Ridgeley.

This group did not become particularly famous, releasing only one hit - Rude Boy. The group could not stay for long, but the members managed to develop the foundation for the formation of Wham!, since while working in The Executive, many songs were created for future Wham! albums.

Wham!

The famous pop duo was signed to the promising Innervision Records label in 1982. During this same period, the pseudonym “George Michael” was adopted. The image of the group is that of rich playmakers; accordingly, their work was aimed more at young people. This is confirmed by the video clips for the debut songs: “Club Tropicana”, “Bad Boys”, which became the calling card of the group.

The first album was called Fantastic. After initial success, the decision was made to move to the Epic label, after concluding a contract with which, the band members began to receive much more money from royalties than they had before.

A short break in creativity occurred at the end of 1983, and it lasted until May 1984. Until this time, a new image of the group was being developed, and work was also underway on a new album, which was called Make It Big. It became popular within the UK, taking first place in various charts. The best creation from the album was the video. We are talking about the “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” video, which has become a cult favorite.

The next two years became the most successful for the group, since it was during this period that such famous songs as “Careless Whisper”, “Freedom” and of course “Last Christmas” were released, which for a long time became a kind of anthem of this holiday.

Solo career

George's disagreements with the producers over the discrepancy between the image of a hooligan teenager imposed on him and his inner state of a romantic led to the breakup of the group, despite its peak of popularity. The band's albums ended with the album "The Final", which broke all sales records - they amounted to 40 million copies.

As a solo singer, Michael made his debut in 1984 with the song “Careless Whisper,” but full-fledged solo performances began after the group broke up, in 1986. Then the album Faith was released, which received all the significant music awards of that year, including the Grammy.

The second album, entitled “Listen Without Prejudice, Vol 1,” was not so successful, although it contained several famous songs. The artist believed that it was not he, as a performer and author, who was to blame for the failure, but the Sony record label, which, according to him, did not promote the album properly. This led to lawsuits between the artist and the label, and due to the fact that the case was lost, Michael stopped creating until his contract with Sony expired.

From that moment on, the career began to decline, and only six years later the album “Older” was released, which partially attracted the interest of listeners in Europe. The best songs to note are Jesus To A Child and Fastlove. Then only collections of the best songs were released, like “Ladies And Gentlemen: The Best Of George Michael” in 1998 and “Songs From The Last Century”. This was in 1999.

A relative breakthrough after stagnation can be considered the release in 2003 of the scandalous video Freeek!, which was very expensive. The success of the video led to the successful debut of the album Patience in 2004. In 2006, the singer went on a world concert tour for the first time in a decade and a half. In 2014, the sixth and final album, “Symphonica,” was released, the music of which pleased fans.

Personal life

Hints of non-traditional sexual orientation have been around for a long time. Michael said he was afraid of how his family would react. In 1991, the singer had an affair with designer Anselmo Feleppa, from whom he contracted HIV.

The hints were indirectly confirmed in the album “Older”. Around the same time, Michael's image changed, he began to wear short hair and leather clothing. It was especially difficult in the mid-90s, when my mother passed away, and there were also attacks from the press.

In 1998, the singer decided to make a public statement that he was gay. He was in a relationship at the time with Dallas businessman Kenny Goss. Unfortunately, subsequently their photos in the tabloids became more interesting to people than songs, videos, albums or concerts.

Death

On December 25, 2016, in his own home, he was 54 years old at the time of his death. It happened in Oxfordshire. Michael's cause of death was a heart attack.

Discography

• 1983 - Fantastic
• 1984 - Make It Big
• 1986 - Music from the Edge of Heaven
• 1987 - Faith
• 1990 - Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1
• 1996 - Older
• 1999 - Songs From The Last Century
• 2004 - Patience
• 2014 - Symphonica

George Michael rose to fame while very young. Participation in the legendary duet "Wham!", then a solo performance brought him two Grammy awards, and his recordings sold one hundred million copies. At the same time, drug addiction, car accidents, and incidents related to sexual orientation negatively affected both the career of the famous pop singer and his health.

George Michael's real name is Georgios (Yorgis) Kyriakos Panayiotou. He was born on June 25, 1963 in a large family of London restaurateur Jack Panos (Kyriakos Panoyotou), a native of Cyprus, and English dancer Leslie Angold, née Harisson. Yogi (as the future singer was called in the family) became the youngest of the children, and his older sisters were involved in his upbringing. The boy had poor eyesight and a very shy character. He was taught to play the violin early, but due to his congenital left-handedness, the boy did not achieve much success. Over time, he became interested in Queen and Elton John.

The turning point for the character and further biography of Yorgis Panayiotou was the move of his parents and his studies at the Bushey Meads school. His classmate was Andrew Ridgeley, the son of an Egyptian emigrant, who was also interested in music. The yogi replaced his thick glasses with contact lenses, took up sports, and in a short time turned into a slender, handsome man. Together with Andrew, they began giving impromptu concerts on the streets and in the subway. In 1979, Ridgeley organized the group "Executive", which, in addition to Yogi (who performed under the name Michael Jones), included brother Andrew and two of their classmates. The group did not last long, and in 1981 Michael and Andrew announced the creation of the duet "Wham!". Ridgeley, who was in charge of the group's image, came up with images of wealthy handsome men enjoying life. The group's first single "Wham Rap!" (1982) and the video based on it had more

great success with a hint of scandal, but due to the abundance of obscene words they were removed from rotation. Subsequent compositions, “Club Tropicana”, “Enjoy What You Do”, etc., became real hits, and the group’s debut album “Fantastic” became a sales leader. The second album, "Make It Big" (1984), went platinum, and the song "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" topped the charts in both the UK, Australia and the USA.

1984 can be called the peak of Wham!'s popularity. Their single "Careless Whisper", which George performed solo, became song of the year in the US, topped the charts in 25 countries, and reached 6 million in sales, becoming the duo's most successful project. In the fall, the group again climbed to the top of the charts with the song "Freedom", and at Christmas they presented the single "Last Christmas", the proceeds of which were donated to charity. However, after such success, the group’s activities began to decline, and the Duran Duran group began to emerge as leaders. Even the duo’s successful tour of China, which was accompanied by sold-out crowds, saved the situation. In 1986, the group's last single, "The Edge of Heaven", and the album, "The Final", were released. The duo's farewell performance at Wembley Stadium, where they performed the song "Where Did Your Heart Go?" attracted 72 thousand spectators.

The beginning of George Michael's independent performances was the Grammy Award-winning composition "I Knew You Were Waiting" (1986), which he recorded with Aretha Franklin. In the next

In 2009, the young singer released his first solo album, Faith, which sold 25 million copies, and five compositions from it were included in the Hot 100. However, the single "I Want Your Sex" was removed from rotation due to its too explicit title, but this, perhaps, only warmed up George Michael's fans. His 1988 world tour was a real triumph.

However, the singer's next album, entitled "Listen without Prejudice" (1990), was received rather coolly, which led to a lawsuit between the singer and the Sony company. The situation was aggravated by rumors about George's unconventional orientation. As the singer himself later admitted, in his youth he often entered into close relationships with girls; among his partners were Brooke Shields, makeup artist Cathy Yong and representatives of show business, and his friendship with Andrew Ridgeley did not have sexual overtones. However, he always felt his homosexuality, and was very afraid of upsetting his mother, whose brother was gay and committed suicide.

In 1991, the singer met Brazilian designer Anselmi Feleppa, but their relationship was ended by Feleppa being diagnosed with AIDS. Michael dedicated the song “Jesus to a Child” (1995), which was included in his album “Older,” which sold more than 15 million, to his friend’s memory.

In 1996, the singer's partner became the athlete Kenny Goss, with whom he lived together in Dallas and London. However, the scandal that erupted around George Ma

ical in 1998, was not about Goss, but about a scandalous situation in a public toilet in Beverly Hills. The second participant in the obscene scene was a police agent, and the singer claimed that the whole story was a provocation. However, for refusing to cooperate with the investigation, he was sentenced to a fine and correctional labor. In retaliation, Michael shot the video "Outside", in which he portrayed gay police officers. However, his popularity declined sharply. The expensive video for "Freek" (2000) did not justify the financial investment, although the song topped the charts in several European countries. The anti-war composition "Shoot the Dog" was somewhat more successful, which ensured the high rating of the album "Patience" (2004).

In 2006, George Michael again became the subject of a sex scandal - this time for public intercourse in a Hampstead Heath park with an elderly unemployed man. After that, he went on a world tour, gave concerts in Moscow and Kyiv, and upon his return he was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs and spent four months in prison. In 2011, Michael went on a new European tour, but before a concert in Vienna he was hospitalized due to pneumonia. Recovery took a year, but due to constant problems with drugs, the singer undergoes ongoing treatment courses and does not appear in public often.

On December 25, 2016, George Michael died at home in Oxfordshire (southern England) from heart failure at the age of 53.