George Michael: Seven Facts About the Late Singer

With more than 100 million records sold and numerous awards, George Michael (1963-2016) was one of the most successful singers ever. The British musician celebrated numerous successes, especially in the 80s and 90s. But the icon’s life came to an abrupt end on December 25, 2016. At the age of only 53, the great talent died of heart failure. The former Wham! Member and his music remain unforgettable to this day. Here are seven facts fans should know about George Michael.

Georgios Kyriakos Panayiotou became George Michael

George Michael was born Georgios Kyriakos Panagiotou on June 25, 1963 in the Municipal Borough of Finchley in northern London. He grew up with two older sisters in Kingsbury, Brent. His mother was British and his Greek Cypriot father – a restaurant owner – came to London in the 1950s. George Michael’s life was to change when he sat next to Andrew Ridgeley (58) in school when he was twelve. “At first we didn’t seem to have anything in common: He was shy, I was confident. He didn’t like football or Formula 1. Until we talked about music. Like me, he loved Queen, the Beatles and David Bowie. From then on we were inseparable “, back.

The two finally formed the band Wham! In 1981. – shortly before their big breakthrough, Georgios changed his name to George Michael. Until the breakup in 1986, the two men were able to achieve some chart successes. Among other things, the songs “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”, “I’m Your Man” and of course “Last Christmas” are evergreens to this day. At that time, the lyrics were already on George Michael’s account – he was able to prove his talent for songwriting even after the separation.

A music video caused a stir

Shortly after Wham! George Michael’s first solo album “Faith” was released. In the USA, among other things, the single of the same name reached the top of the charts. The Briton was also able to take home a Grammy in the “Album of the Year” category. His next work “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1” contained the song “Freedom! ’90”. The track storms the charts worldwide and the music video is still cult today.

Because not George Michael was in front of the camera, but the supermodels of the time. In January 1990 photographer Peter Lindbergh (1944-2019) shot Naomi Campbell (51), Linda Evangelista (56), Tatjana Patitz (55), Christy Turlington (52) and Cindy Crawford (55) together for the cover of the British “Vogue” away. Inspired by this, Michael asked the five women – and got them for his video. Five male models supported the iconic beauties during the shoot. The fee of the supermodels was 15,000 US dollars (around 13,000 euros) per day.

Looking for love

“I slept with a lot of women in the Wham! Days but never felt like a relationship could develop because I knew I was emotionally a homosexual man,” said.

The singer had a lot of bang in the course of his career. Michael reportedly had 500 men in seven years – at least that’s what the musician told his friend Piers Morgan (56), there were also longer relationships in the singer’s life. In 1991 he met the Brazilian Anselmo Feleppa (1956-1993). Two years later, his partner died of the effects of AIDS.

Lady Diana was drawn to him

Princess Diana (1961-1997) is said to have been very attracted to the pop star. At least that is how it is explained in a biography of the singer. The book states that Michael claimed that his close friend Diana made this “very clear”. The two are said to have met backstage at a World AIDS Day concert in Wembley in 1989. George Michael then became one of the princess’s closest confidants. Both would have met privately more often. However, he knew that it would have been “catastrophic” to start a sexual relationship with her.

Drugs and police

George Michael had struggled with drug addiction time and again since the 1990s. Kenny Goss (63), who had a relationship with the singer from 1996 to 2011, that Michael initially smoked marijuana now and then. But “at some point he smoked 25 joints a day”. The musician also consumed crack and ecstasy. Michael was arrested several times for drug possession.

Then in 2010 the sad climax: After he rushed into a shop front under the influence of drugs, he was sentenced to a few weeks in prison. It wasn’t until a year later that he managed to withdraw. But he later relapsed again. Before that, the singer came into contact with the police. In 1998, an undercover police officer lured the singer into a toilet for alleged sexual acts. As a result, Michael was sentenced to social service for “indecent acts”.

Sad coincidence in the family

George Michael left most of his fortune to his family. His two sisters Yioda and Melanie as well as his father were the main heirs of the around 100 million pounds (around 117 million euros). Seven other relatives and close friends were also included in Michael’s will,. His partner Fadi Fawaz, with whom the singer was dating from 2012 until his death, allegedly came away empty-handed. Three years after Michael’s death, another tragedy overshadowed the family: his sister Melanie also died on December 25th at the age of 55.

A hit is still a cash cow to this day

The Wham! Hit “Last Christmas” regularly hits the charts during Advent. With income from streaming services, cover versions of other artists and royalties, a lot should come together. had given an estimate in 2019, according to which Michael should have earned around nine million US dollars (around 7.9 million euros) from the song every year. Today the lion’s share should go to the singer’s heirs.