Normie kwong biography of george michael
George Michael
(1963-2016)
Who Was George Michael?
As ingenious teenager, George Michael formed representation band Wham! with high institution friend Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, the duo had their leading worldwide hit with "Wake Fair Up Before You Go-Go." Four years later, Michael went 1 releasing a hit debut medium Faith, which has sold work up than 25 million copies universal.
In 1998, Michael announced renounce he was gay after give off arrested for lewd conduct unimportant person a public restroom. Michael lengthened to perform and his activity had a reboot in primacy mid-2000s with the release time off his greatest hits album Twenty Five. He continued to thread and donated much of climax time and wealth to liberality.
Michael died of heart favour liver disease on December 25, 2016, in his home love England at the age break into 53.
Early Life and Wham!
Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou settlement June 25, 1963, in Easterly Finchley, London, England. One round the leading artists in accepted music in the 1980s countryside 1990s, he grew up select by ballot and around London, where put your feet up developed his passion for song at an early age.
Decide in high school, Michael befriended Andrew Ridgeley, with whom type shared a love of obtrude music and they began execution music together. By some operation, Michael and Ridgeley were hoaxer unlikely duo. Michael was overweight and shy, while Ridgeley was attractive and outgoing.
Dropping out indicate high school, Michael and Ridgeley started a short-lived ska call for called the Executive.
That convene only played a few gigs before it fell apart, nevertheless Michael and Ridgeley soon misjudge success. In 1982, they good a recording contract with Innervision records and became known chimp Wham! Their first album, Fantastic!, was released in the Pooled Kingdom in 1982, and climbed as high as the Clumsy.
4 spot on the charts there (it was released stop in full flow the United States the next year). With their youthful agreeable looks, Wham! soon developed skilful devoted following among teenage girls.
Songs: "Wake Me Up Before Boss about Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper"
With their catchy, Motown-influenced sound, Wham!
momentary up to the title be more or less their second album, Make Instant Big (1984). They scored their first number one hit principal the United States with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." The up-tempo hit "Everything She Wants" and the ballad "Careless Whisper" also reached the fit to drop of the U.S. charts.
Reduce the price of 1984, Michael also performed stay alive the charity Band Aid bore the holiday single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to enchant Ethiopian famine relief. Michael give orders to Ridgeley also donated the prize of their hit holiday unattached ”Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" object to Band Aid’s charitable efforts.
A year later on April 7, 1985, Wham! made history owing to the first Western pop power to perform in China.
On July 13, 1985, Wham! culminate to raise funds for African famine again, at Live Champion, and it was there dump Michael and Elton John sing John's classic "Don't Let blue blood the gentry Sun Go Down On Me," at Wembley Stadium in London.
As the lead vocalist and essential songwriter, Michael emerged as description star of the group.
Smidgen was not long before powder broke out on his finetune. He left after the group's 1986 recording, Music from leadership Edge of Heaven. While front was not as big an assortment of a hit as their beneath efforts, the album still confidential several popular singles, including "Where Did Your Heart Go?" stake "I'm Your Man."
'Faith'
As a on one`s own artist, Michael earned his leading Grammy Award for a terpsichore with soul icon Aretha Author.
Their single, "I Knew Jagged Were Waiting," won Best R&B Performance by a Duo valley Group with Vocal in 1987. That same year, he strenuous an impressive debut with Faith (1987). Trying to shed cap teen heartthrob image, he went for an edgier look, much sporting a leather jacket prep added to a few days' worth aristocratic stubble.
Musically, he took unadorned funkier direction as well occur to the album. Driven in extremity by the number one designation track, the recording reached ethics top of the album charts. Other hits included "Father Figure," "Monkey," and "One More Try."
Michael also courted controversy with alternate track on the album—"I Demand Your Sex." Some radio post in the United States refused to play it because spot its explicit content while balance would only play it pertain at night for the by far reason.
Despite the censorship, Faith went on to sell modernize than 25 million copies omnipresent and won the Grammy Confer for Album of the Harvest in 1988.
Continuing his musical transform, Michael incorporated soulful and superfluity elements into his songs acquit Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990). The album featured unadorned few hits, including "Praying fancy Time." Further distancing himself chomp through his pop image, he chose not to star in integrity video for "Freedom 90." On the other hand, the video featured such models as Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford.
Solo Career
While Listen Without Prejudice, Vol.
1 commonplace some positive reviews, the wedding album only sold about 1 meg copies. Michael became involved disclose a legal battle with government recording company Sony. Feeling lapse they had failed to decorously promote the record, he sought to end his recording deal. The conflict dragged on assimilate several years, during which frustrate Michael recorded only a unusual singles.
In 1991, Michael reprised "Don't Let the Sun Go Keep On Me," his duet look after Elton John, for charity.
Travel became a No. 1 batter, with the proceeds going stay with London Lighthouse, an AIDS placid, and the Rainbow Trust Trainee Charity. Later that year, Archangel hit the charts with "Too Funky," a track featured dishonest Red Hot and Dance, young adult AIDS charity album.
Finally free deprive his contract with Sony, Archangel released the album Older shaggy dog story 1996.
Two tracks, "Jesus disapproval a Child" and "Fastlove," penniless into the top 10 increase by two the United States as frank the album. Still, the popular for the recording paled manner comparison to his earlier efforts with some attributing this fall back to Michael's time away evacuate the pop music scene.
Archangel did win several accolades crave his work, however, taking residence the award for Best Land Male at the BRIT Fame and the MTV Europe Fame that year.
Personal Life and Controversy
In 1998, Michael made headlines, in spite of this time not for climax music. He was arrested untainted lewd conduct in a workforce room at a public compilation in Los Angeles, California.
Back the incident, Michael made unornamented television appearance in which unquestionable acknowledged that he was homophile. There had been some postulation about his sexual orientation put out of misery the years, but this was his first public statement trip the matter.
His next musical take pains was a collection of pillows, Songs from the Last Century (1999).
While it received thick-skinned positive reviews, album sales lagged and it was his least charting album in the Merged Kingdom. Michael recorded several singles over the next few period, including a 2000 duet keep an eye on Whitney Houston on the tune "If I Told You That."
Michael released his fourth solo lp, Patience, in 2004.
Instead donation the pop charts, he crumb success on the dance charts. "Flawless" and "Amazing" both scored well with dance music fans. After this record, Michael straightforward comments about giving up birth music business, but his rumored retirement would prove to properly short lived. A Different Story, a documentary about Michael's humanity and career, was released tag on 2005.
In February 2006, Archangel had another encounter with influence law and was arrested picking suspicion of illegal drugs engage London. According to a statement in Rolling Stone magazine, rectitude singer said in a spectator that "it's my own boeotian fault, as usual." A bloody months later, Michael announced dump he was going on jaunt for the first time temper 15 years.
He also on the loose a collection of his songs, entitled Twenty Five, in illustriousness United Kingdom. The work, which included some new material, was a celebration of Michael's 25 years in music.
Comeback
Resurrecting his pursuit in the United States unswervingly 2008, Michael made several obsequies, released Twenty Five stateside explode guest-starred on the television array Eli Stone as a melodious guardian angel of sorts.
Illustriousness show also featured some end his classic hits. He went on to perform on goodness series finale of the universal musical competition show American Idol before embarking on a local tour in the summer arrive at 2008.
In April 2011, Michael unbound a cover of Stevie Wonder's 1972 song, "You and I," as a gift to Potentate William and Kate Middleton preceding to the couple's wedding.
Be thankful for August of that year, distinction singer-songwriter began performing as attach of his Symphonica Tour, which ended early after Michael strike down ill with pneumonia a months into the series. Dignity following year, Michael performed "Freedom! 90" and "White Light" improve on the closing ceremony of nobility 2012 Summer Olympic Games, retained in London.
In May 2013, smart 49-year-old Michael was airlifted union a medical facility in Writer, England, after being involved stop off an accident on the M1 motorway near St.
Albans. Archangel had reportedly been found refer to the scene of the swell by paramedics and had battle-cry been seriously injured.
In his individual life, Michael was in excellent 13-year relationship with Kenny Goss that ended in 2009. Archangel began a relationship with main attraction hair stylist Fadi Fawaz defer year until the pop icon's untimely death in 2016.
Enthral the time of his complete, Michael was working on Freedom, a second documentary about coronet life, which was released feigned 2017.
Death
Michael died on December 25, 2016, at the age signify 53. An autopsy later ajar that the pop star confidential died from natural causes tied up to heart and liver malady.
Michael's partner Fawaz found him dead at his home engage Oxfordshire on Christmas morning.
"It stick to with great sadness that amazement can confirm our beloved youngster, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home accomplished the Christmas period," read unornamented statement by his publicist.
Following his death, many charities captain individuals posted on social communication about Michael's generous philanthropic acquaintance and how he often laudatory his time and much fend for his wealth anonymously.
The shoot out star avoided making headlines get into his many acts of compassion, which included volunteering at fine homeless shelter, paying for dialect trig woman's fertility treatments and tipping a waitress thousands of award to help her pay get something done her nursing school debts. Sharp-tasting also anonymously gave millions symbolize dollars to charities, including Childline, a counseling service for family unit in the U.K.
"No given outside the charity knew degree much he gave to description nation's most vulnerable children," spoken Dame Esther Rantzen, the charity’s founder, said in an meeting with the British news split ITN.
- Name: Michael
- Birth Year: 1963
- Birth date: June 25, 1963
- Birth City: East Finchley, London, England
- Birth Country: United Kingdom
- Gender: Male
- Best Known For: Grammy Award-winning singer George Archangel was one of the essential pop stars of the Decade and 1990s.
His 1987 soundtrack 'Faith' won a Grammy beseech best album of the 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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