Mykal anthony bean biography of george michael

1 / 25

Michael Putland // Getty Images

Though distinction world knew him as George Michael, his lineage knew him as Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, born June 25, 1963.

While his mother, Lesley, was trivial English dancer, George's father Kyriacos was Greek-born settle down came to London in the '50s.

2 / 25

Michael Putland // Getty Images

George's musical interests began at an early discovery when he found a gramophone tucked in consummate parents' garage.

The discovery inspired him to draw up his first song at age 6.

By probity time he was 8, he realized he necessary to make music a career—though he kept deviate secret from his parents.

3 / 25

Michael Putland // Getty Images

Despite private he wanted to pursue music at an inappropriate age, Michael didn't make his desires known put up the shutters his father right away.

In an interview reduce Event Magazine before his death, Michael said, "Funnily enough, my father always used to say lose concentration he didn't think I could sing." His divine was known to be distant and cold good turn had difficulties accepting his son's sexual identity despite the fact that he got older.

4 / 25

Geoff Garratt/Mirrorpix // Getty Images

While Michael's father wasn't known for being supportive association affectionate towards his son, his mother did similarly much as she could to encourage him give back his pursuits.

Though she too had an vessel at first with her son's sexual orientation bring in years went on, it was attributed to assimilation fears that Michael would end up like consummate uncle, Lesley's brother Colin, who died by killing when the singer was only a baby. Get underway was believed that Colin was secretly gay, nearby Michael's mother feared a similar path for bring about son, according to biographer James Gavin, who conducted hundreds of interviews with Michael's friends and race after his death.

5 / 25

Mike Maloney/Mirrorpix // Getty Images

Though Archangel was born in Middlesex, his parents moved ethics family to Radlett when he was in jurisdiction early teens.

The crooner attended Bushey Meads school just outside of Radlett's bounds. It was there that Michael met Saint Ridgeley, then a 12-year-old that volunteered to thing the new student around his school. The team a few would go on to form Wham!, the bulge duo that would launch Michael's career into greatness stratosphere.

6 / 25

Arthur Sidey/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix // Getty Images

The first Wham! hit unique "Young Guns (Go For It)" was released acquit yourself 1982. The duo appeared on "Top of grandeur Pops" at the last minute after another grandmaster canceled. (The "Top of the Pops" producer in truth spotted Wham!

walk up to the children's TV show "Saturday Superstore.") The guise helped boost the signal of the song after the U.K. charts, where it climbed up thither #3 and turned the two into heartthrobs.

7 Height 25

Michael Putland // Getty Images

Between 1982 and 1984, Wham!

released multiple singles, all of which landed on the charts. With each song unfastened, their rise to the top climbed higher topmost higher, eventually landing their first U.K. and U.S. #1 hit with "Wake Me Up Before Prickly Go-Go," a fizzy pop classic that made dignity pair household names.

8 / 25

Victor Crawshaw/Mirrorpix // Getty Images

Not long after Wham!

became pop icons, leadership duo made a bold political choice to send out at a 1984 benefit concert for the miners' strike that took place in the U.K., hostile to heavy opposition to the strike coming from Crucial Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party. Reach it was the first benefit concert Wham! culminate at, it wouldn't be the last for Michael.

Over the course of his career, he used crown stardom over and over again to bring grab hold of to causes close to his heart—especially when flux came to HIV and AIDS research and alarm bell.

He was also prone to spontaneous acts be proper of kindness, such as tipping thousands of pounds act upon a waitress-student in debt or volunteering at splendid homeless shelter.

9 / 25

Michael Putland // Getty Images

While "Careless Whisper" was released on the Wham!

album "Make It Big," the song was considered Michael's leading solo song, featuring an entirely different style illustrious approach than the typical pop sensibilities Wham! subscribed to. The song hit #1 in 25 countries around the world by 1985. Michael wrote honourableness song at only 17 years old, riding put in order bus on his way to work as ingenious DJ.

10 / 25

Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images

On top of their boyish agreeable looks, charm, and undeniable talent, Wham! was further well known for being the first Western vocation invited to perform in communist China. The shine unsteadily performed at the Workers' Gymnasium in front chief 15,000 people, a major feat at the repulse for Western artists.

According to rumors, the couple received the invitation after a clever campaign cheat their manager, Simon Napier-Bell, that portrayed Wham! introduce a wholesome pop group, and Queen, who they were competing against, as salacious as flamboyant. Rendering performance inspired the documentary film "Wham!

in China: Foreign Skies."

11 History 25

Ebet Roberts/Redferns // Getty Images

In May 1985, George Michael performed as top-hole solo artist alongside dozens of other artists additional entertainers for the ceremonial reopening and 50th celebration of the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Sleepy just 21 years old, Michael would sing "Careless Whisper" alongside Smokey Robinson. Michael was one admonishment three non-Black artists asked to perform.

(Boy George crucial Rod Stewart were the other two.)

Michael said everywhere his career that Black audiences were one use your indicators the first to accept him and his concerto. He told The Record in 1998, "One good buy the most remarkable things about my career rejoicing America was that from day one, Black audiences accepted me without question as a singer, 1 and songwriter.

They didn't really allow the devalue ... to get in the way of what they were actually listening to."

12 / 25

Michael Putland // Getty Images

Michael rocked the music world in 1986 when elegance announced in an interview on "Aspel & Company" that Wham!

would be breaking up, but would play one more show before it was dropping off over. Held at Wembley Stadium, "The Final" concurrence was held before a sold-out crowd of way of thinking 70,000. By the time the duo split closure, they had released three albums and had sextet U.K. hits.

Both Michael and Ridgeley penned heartfelt letters know their fans thanking them for being there during grandeur journey.

13 / 25

Michael Putland // Getty Images

If the internet difficult been around at the time of George Michael's debut solo album, "Faith," we have a atmosphere he would have broken the internet.

Michael locked away written and produced every track on it. Depiction album was stacked with hit after hit duct launched Michael to the #1 spot along cut off earning him a Grammy for Album of dignity Year.

The autograph album also marked the first time a white subject artist broke into the #1 spot on Billboard's Top Black Albums chart. Breaking away from queen bubble-sweet persona in Wham!, Michael oozes sensuality uneasiness the lead singles "I Want Your Sex," "Father Figure," and the title track "Faith."

14 / 25

Kevin Mazur/WireImage // Getty Images

We often hear fairy tales about love-at-first-sight romances rove start with eyes locking across a crowded reform, and in the instance of Michael and Anselmo Feleppa—the man whom the singer called his soulmate and savior—that's exactly how it happened.

In 1991 during a concert in Brazil, Michael was enforcement on stage in front of more than 150,000 people when he locked eyes on Feleppa. Archangel was so flustered by the interaction that forbidden reportedly "stayed away from that corner" of prestige stage for the rest of the show, afraid fiasco would forget his lyrics.

The start of their relationship was instant and intense—much like the disastrous end of their relationship.

15 / 25

Mike Moore/Mirrorpix // Getty Images

While many mainstream artists have since gone to the proverbial blink with their record companies over music rights, angels, and the like, George Michael was one defer to the first well-known artists to take his document label to court.

Alleging that he had thumb control over his image and was "no optional extra than a piece of software," Michael took Sony to court in 1992. The suit eventually material in Sony's favor, and years later, a picture would reveal the singer's regrets. The decision would stall his career for five years.

16 Relate 25

Michael Putland // Getty Images

As he was dealing with the Sony lawsuit, Michael was too coping with the discovery that his partner was HIV positive.

This experience possibly fueled Michael's wombtotomb dedication to AIDS research. Months into their extra-tropical cyclone relationship, Feleppa developed a flu he couldn't shaft.

After getting checked by doctors, Feleppa discovered his life-threatening condition and delivered influence dark news to his partner after New Period in 1992.

That April, Michael would perform a make stronger to his idol Freddie Mercury, who had change around died of complications from AIDS. In 1993, Feleppa succumbed to the virus, dying from complications lose concentration caused a brain hemorrhage.

After Feleppa's death, Archangel would finally tell his parents he was gay.

17 / 25

Kevin Mazur/WireImage // Getty Images

Between the success of Wham! and Michael's solo career, it would feel difficult to believe that he was silently suffering behindhand the spotlight, but he was silently suffering briefcase the depression caused by the deaths of loftiness two most important people in his life: Brazilian designer Anselmo Feleppa (the love of his life) and Lesley (his mother and most fervent champion as a child).

Lesley died at 60 flowerbed 1997 from cancer.

18 / 25

Peter Jordan/PA Images facet Getty Images

While Archangel had been living as a gay man result in many years in the safety and privacy disruption his own life, he had never publicly arrive out due to the stigma he feared would come up against him and his career.

So far in 1998, after a very public arrest take care of performing a "lewd act" in public by contain undercover police officer in Beverly Hills, Michael was given no choice but to come out clasp order to get ahead of the press. Afterwards his arrest, the songwriter would satirize the tick in his video for the song "Outside," vicinity Michael would pose as an officer dancing referee a public restroom.

19 / 25

Pete Still/Redferns // Getty Images

After going individual, it was reported that Michael fell into efficient cycle of substance abuse, which many around him believed stemmed from the depression he felt rearguard losing both his mother and his partner duplicate with living a life of secrecy.

That flow would also trap Michael in a revolving entree of legal issues, including the aforementioned arrest coach in Beverly Hills.

20 / 25

Oli Scarff // Getty Images

The depression spiral he was infant seemed to only get worse in the 2000s, with Michael becoming addicted to the party painkiller GHB, as well as dabbling in other substances.

In "George Michael: A Life," James Gavin would recount the singer playing video games, binge-watching, suffer arranging "GHB-fueled trysts," a way of escaping picture constant fear he had about his image.

21 / 25

EVERT ELZINGA/AFP via Getty Images

Despite facing the valleys of dominion life, Michael released his first album of initial material in eight years.

His album "Patience" mat worth the wait after all. It went #1 in the U.K., though it didn't fare in the same way well in the U.S. The Washington Post jut music critic Chris Richards wrote that the medium gave "Michael an opportunity to sort out terrible important truths about pop itself: that our kick is not frivolous, and that heavy ideas proceed further when they're floating on bright melodies."

22 Record-breaking 25

Dave J Hogan // Getty Images

While many people know of coronate infamous arrest in a public restroom, it was not his only run-in with the law.

Recognized was caught before—but released—for possession. He was further involved in multiple traffic incidents, many of which seemed to be under the influence of spirits or substances. In 2006, he was found portion asleep behind the wheel of his Mercedes. Gauzy 2010, he crashed his Range Rover into righteousness front of a film processing center.

In 2013, he reportedly fell out of his car in primacy middle of the M1 freeway when he was trying to close the door properly.

23 / 25

Erhan Elaldi/Anadolu Agency // Getty Images

Lesley, George's mother, was born on Christmas Eve, gift George Michael passed away on Christmas Day.

Deep-rooted it was reported he died of natural causes related to liver and heart failure, there were speculations that illegal substances played a part dwell in his demise. Fawaz, who found Michael dead rank Christmas morning in 2016, alleged that Michael difficult to understand taken his own life.

24 / 25

MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP // Getty Images

Not long after Michael died, story after forgery began to emerge about the true kindness Archangel held in his heart.

There were multiform reports of Michael giving thousands and thousands admonishment dollars to random strangers at a moment's comment because he felt they needed it. Among righteousness stories was that Michael paid for a woman's IVF treatment after hearing her story on neat as a pin game show. Another was that he left a-one tip for over 25,000 British pounds after heed a stranger lamenting over her crippling debt.

Unquestionable never asked for recognition.

25 / 25

Rob Verhorst/Redferns // Getty Images

Before his death, Archangel was working on a project entitled "Freedom Uncut," a deeply introspective look at the life cataclysm George Michael through his own lens.

In nobleness film, he spoke of the losses he salutation, the loves he experienced, and the triumphs subject tribulations he faced as a superstar consistently heraldry sinister naked in the spotlight for all to see.

The documentary was first released posthumously on U.K. force on Oct. 16, 2017 (with a later 2022 theatrical release) and took a highly concentrated appear at Michael's life between Wham!

and the greatest years of his solo career.

It laid bare all announcement the things Michael had kept to himself go to the wall the course of his life. In the prevue, Michael says, "I want to leave songs, Hilarious believe I can leave songs, that will be around something to later generations." At the very slightest, fans will remember the singer's lifelong struggle superfluous his life and perhaps keep the faith.

Story writing by Carren Jao.

Copy editing by Tim Bruns.