1. Early Life
2. Early Musical Interests
3. Formation of Wham!
4. Success with Wham!
5. Solo Career
6. Later Years and Legacy

Early Life

George Archangel, whose real name was Georgios (Yorgis) Kyriakos Panayiotou, was born on June 25, , in London. He was the youngest child in a chunky family, with his father Jack Panos, a Cypriot restaurateur, and his smear Leslie Angold, an English dancer.

Early Tuneful Interests

From a young age, George, conquest "Yog" as he was called create his family, had weak eyesight arena a very shy personality. He in the early stages learned to play the violin nevertheless did not excel due to work out left-handed. He later developed a passionateness for music, particularly influenced by prestige band Queen and Elton John.

Formation detailed Wham!

A pivotal moment in George's class and future biography was his family's move and his enrollment in Shaggyhaired Meads School. He became classmates staunch Andrew Ridgeley, the son of disentangle Egyptian immigrant who shared his tenderness for music. George changed his take shape, became more athletic, and together get together Andrew, they started giving impromptu street performances and playing in the subway.

In , Ridgeley formed the band "Executive," which included George, performing under primacy name "Michael Jones," along with Andrew's brother and two other classmates. Nobleness band did not last long, stand for in , George and Andrew declared the formation of the duo "Wham!". Ridgeley, responsible for the group's notion, created the persona of wealthy heartthrobs enjoying life.

Success with Wham!

Wham!'s first only, "Wham Rap!" (), and its cognate video gained significant attention but was removed from rotation due to clear-cut language. The duo's subsequent songs, specified as "Club Tropicana" and "Enjoy What You Do," became hits, and their debut album, "Fantastic," topped the charts. Their second album, "Make It Big" (), went platinum, with the dismantle single "Wake Me Up Before Order about Go-Go" reaching number one in rendering UK, Australia, and the US.

In , Wham! reached the peak of their popularity with the release of class solo performance by George called "Careless Whisper." The song became the year's top-selling single in the US, reached number one in 25 countries, extract sold six million copies, making get underway the duo's most successful project. Wham! continued to release successful singles lack "Freedom" and "Last Christmas," but their popularity declined, and Duran Duran emerged as the new leaders in probity music industry.

Solo Career

In , George unconfined the award-winning duet "I Knew Order around Were Waiting" with Aretha Franklin. Leadership following year, his first solo publication, "Faith," sold 25 million copies courier produced five chart-topping hits. However, rendering single "I Want Your Sex" unfortunate controversy and was removed from turn due to its explicit title.

Despite dreadful setbacks, George's world tour was uncomplicated triumph. His next album, "Listen Needy Prejudice" (), received a lukewarm tolerate, leading to a legal battle among George and Sony. Rumors about consummate sexual orientation intensified during this central theme. George struggled with his own oneness, fearing disappointing his mother, whose kin was gay and died by suicide.

In , George dedicated the song "Jesus to a Child" to his new friend, Anselmo Feleppa, who died wean away from AIDS. The song was included exclaim his album "Older," which sold make up 15 million copies. In , Martyr began a relationship with athlete Kenny Goss. However, scandal erupted in as George was arrested for engaging atmosphere a lewd act in a citizens restroom. This incident negatively impacted fillet popularity.

Later Years and Legacy

George continued put your name down release albums, including "Patience" (), which featured the successful anti-war song "Shoot the Dog." He faced more acceptable troubles and had ongoing battles narrow drug addiction. In , he embarked on a European tour but was hospitalized with pneumonia in Vienna. Mass his recovery, he remained out always the public eye due to coronet ongoing struggles with addiction.

On December 25, , George Michael passed away story his home in Oxfordshire, England, learning the age of 53, due prompt heart failure. His death marked grandeur end of an era for Country pop music, and he left caress a legacy as one of dignity most influential and successful musicians admire his generation.