American singer george michael. George Michael - biography, personal life, photo

Legendary British singer, two-time Grammy Award winner.

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

George Michael spent his childhood in north London. At school he met a friend Andrew Ridgley, 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 Ridgley invited him to create a ska group under named The Executive. However, the collective did not find the proper response from the public, and the musicians decided to perform as a duet. This is how the project was born in the early 1980s « Wham!» created by George Michael and Andrew Ridgley.

The beginning musicians were real hedonists, which pleased their listeners - their singles "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go", "Last Christmas" were a huge success. In 1986, The Edge of Heaven reached the # 1 spot on the UK National Chart, but Wham! broke up and the musicians took up a solo career.

Autumn 1987 George Michael presented 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 creative career George Michael.

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

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

In 1998, the compilation album Ladies And Gentlemen: The Best Of George Michael was released, but sales dropped sharply after George Michael was forced to admit that he had a non-traditional sexual orientation.

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

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

In 2006 year George Michael presented the single An Easier Affair and released another compilation timed to coincide with the twenty-five years of his career. The year before this event, George Michael had written the film "George Michael: A Different Story", which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival.

December 31, 2006 George Michael performed at the celebration of Vladimir Potanin, and earned record amount- three million dollars.

In the fall of 2010, the singer went to jail for a short time, as he was driving a car under the influence of drugs, and there was marijuana in his trunk. Vehicle artist rammed a store in north London.

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

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

In early 2014, the artist announced that he was ready to present his sixth solo album entitled Symphonica, which will include 14 tracks.

Personal life of George Michael / George Michael

In an interview George Michael stated that he was afraid to admit his sexual orientation due to the unpredictable reaction of the mother. When he was nineteen, fellow musicians learned that George Michael- bisexual.

During the frenzied popularity of the duo "Wham!" I slept with women ... But after the breakup of the group, I could not 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. Six months later whirlwind romance, lover George Michael learned that he was 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 kind of stone lay on my heart in those days. I was looking for a balance between a cup of Starbucks coffee and marijuana, and I was content with it. Then I barely got over terrible accident... Although if this huge truck killed me, I would be happy. Do you know why? I gave 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 broke up in 2009. In July 2006 George Michael found himself in the midst of yet another sex scandal: he was arrested during 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, the British media reported the death of George Michael. Singer George Michael died on December 25, 2016. He was 53 years old.

Manager famous artist Michael Lippman reported that the cause of death was heart failure. Also, representatives of the singer said that George Michael "died peacefully at home," and conveyed to the singer's many fans that his "family asks to respect privacy during this emotional and difficult time."

• Discography of 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

George Michael decided to start a solo career. In 1986, his author's single A Different Corner was released, which topped the British charts. Then George Michael, in a duet with Aretha Franklin, performed the composition I Knеw Yоu Wеrе Waiting (For Me), which took the first positions in the charts in many countries of the world.

For this single, the performers were awarded a Grammy in the category " Best Vocal in the style of rhythm and blues ".

In 1988, George Michael released a single called I Want Your Sex, which was banned from daytime radio broadcasts in Britain, although it peaked at number one on the UK charts. Following this composition, the first solo album of the singer Faith appeared, which sold 16 million copies worldwide. All songs on this CD, Father Figure, One More Try and Monkey, have earned hit fame in the US and UK. In 1988, the singer was awarded another Grammy in the nomination "Best Vocalist of the Year".

In 1991, the second disc, Listen Without Prejudice, appeared, with a circulation of several million. The single Praying For Time from the album peaked at # 1 on the US charts. The composition Don "t Let The Sun Go Down On Me performed in a duet with Elton John took the first lines of the charts in the USA and Great Britain.

At the concert, dedicated to memory Freddie Mercury, which took place in London, George Michael performed with by Queen... Subsequently, an album entitled Five Live EP, recorded with the participation of Queen, took first place in the UK charts.

In 1992, the singer began a long grueling litigation with Sоnу in order to terminate his contract, however judgment was not taken in his favor. In 1995, George Michael was rescued from musical captivity by David Geffen DreamWorks Records and Virgin Records, which bought him from Sony for forty million dollars. A contract was signed with this company for two solo albums of the artist. In 1996, the first album, Older, was released, which was later recognized by critics as the most successful albums of the decade.

In October 1998, George Michael released his song Outside, which reached # 2 in the UK. His collection of songs Ladies & Gentlemen held the number one spot on the UK charts for eight weeks. In 1999, a cover version of the song Stevie Wonder As was released, performed together with Mary J. Blige, which immediately hit the top five in the UK. At the end of the same year, a collection of cover versions of Songs appeared. From the Last Century.

In March 2004, another album by the artist Patience was released. In 2006, the album was released best hits Twenty Five, dedicated to the 25th anniversary creative activity singer. In the same year, George Michael went on a world tour. In 2007, as part of the tour, he gave concerts for the first time in Moscow and Kiev.

In December 2009, the singer's new Christmas single December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas) was released.

In the summer of 2010, the singer, under the influence of drugs, drove his car into a shop window. For this offense, he was stripped of his driver's license for five years and sent to prison for several weeks.

In the summer of 2012, George Michael's new single White Light was released. With this song, (as well as with one of the previous hits - the song Freedom), the singer performed on August 12, 2012 at the closing of the 30th Summer Olympic Games in London.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

British singer George Michael has died. Cause of death British singer George Michael could become heart failure, informvest.net reports with reference to Billboard.

George Michael died at home at the age of 53. Police said there were no "suspicious circumstances" in the incident.

Colleagues Elton John, Mark Ronson, Liam Gallagher, Ryan Adams, as well as the mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the leader of the British opposition Jeremy Corbin have already expressed their condolences on the death of the musician.

The singer's manager, Michael Lippman, told Billboard that he learned of George Michael's death on Christmas Sunday morning. He was told that the musician was found "peacefully lying in bed."

According to Lippmann, a violent death of the singer is out of the question. At the same time, he added that the version of heart failure came as a surprise to him.

Few people know, but in fact, George Michael is a Greek. His real name is Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou. However, George Michael was born in Britain, in London on June 25, 1963, in the family of a naturalized Greek. He lived in London all his life.

His musical career began in 1981, when he, together with his school friend Andrew Ridgley, created group The Executives. However, they became known when they renamed their duo Wham! Their main feature was the stage image of rich rakes, living their lives to the fullest.

In 1986, the group disbanded, and George Michael announced that he intends to start solo career and write serious adult music... Released under the Wham! The first solo song, Freedom, drew everyone's attention to Michael. The first solo album, entitled Faith, sold 16 million copies, making Billboard the top-selling disc in the United States by the end of the year.

The second album was much less commercially successful than Faith. George Michael has accused the Sony record label of not investing enough in advertising the album. This resulted in trial between the singer and the company, which Michael lost. Then the singer refused to release albums until his contract with Sony ended. And only in 1996 on Virgin Records the third solo album of Michael Older was released, which enjoyed great success.

Since then, the musician has become a very popular figure in Western music tabloids - as one of the most scandalous famous singers... For example, in 1998, Michael was detained by the police after attempting to molest a young man with sexual intent in a public toilet. The man was a plainclothes police officer. The singer was forced to admit that he is a homosexual.

In October 2006, he pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of drugs. In 2008, he was warned for possession of Class A drugs, including cocaine.

In the same year, Michael was again arrested for sex in public. It happened in Hampstead Heath Park, London, with a 58-year-old unemployed van driver as his partner.

George Michael: cause of death, biography of the singer, last photos interesting facts on informvest.net

On the night of January 1, 2007, George Michael earned a record three million dollars for just one concert at the villa of the oligarch Vladimir Potanin near Moscow.

George Michael: cause of death, biography of the singer, recent photos, interesting facts... In September 2010, Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in prison after an incident in which he crashed his Range rover o shop in north London. The singer was arrested when he crashed his car into a photographic store in the north London borough of Hempstead. George Michael again pleaded guilty to drug possession, for which he was sentenced to imprisonment, as well as a fine.

George Michael: cause of death, singer's biography, latest photos, interesting facts on informvest.net

The sudden death of George Michael, who died right in Catholic Christmas, literally shocked the world community. Representatives of the world show business immediately reacted to the death popular artist and declared their sorrow.

Everything changed when Giorgos met Andrew Ridgley, who also came from an immigrant family, under his influence he took up his appearance and changed the terrible glasses for contact lenses. New friends, dreamed of musical career so they preferred school lessons impromptu concerts in the London Underground passages.

In 1981, the guys created The Executives, with which they performed at school concerts and small clubs, but did not achieve the long-awaited success. Then the guys decided to perform as a duet called Wham!

The new duo quickly reached popularity, hitting the top lines of well-known UK charts. Enjoy hits What you Do, Bad Boys, Club Tropicana brought them worldwide fame. Between 1982 and 1986, the team was at the pinnacle of fame. Their albums have sold millions of copies, and the geography touring tours stretched from the United States to China.

Despite the commercial success of the collective and their fame, in 1986 the duo WHAM! It ceased to exist. However, George Michael, the group's songwriter, embarked on a solo career and became very successful.

His debut single, Careless Whisper, took him to the top of the national charts and earned him the title " Best author of the year ". Huge success was expected and his debut album Faith. He received a Grammy in the nomination" Best Album"and has also received many other prestigious awards.

The disc went diamond in the USA and Canada, and platinum in the UK and Australia. George Michael's subsequent albums Listen Without Prejudice, Older, Songs From The Last Century, Patience were also welcomed by the public and brought the performer new awards.

In 1998, the singer was dragged into loud scandal associated with his molestation of a man in the toilet. The singer had to confess his homosexuality, which had a disastrous effect on the sales of his discs.

In 2002, George Michael tried to regain its former popularity with the release of the single Freeek !, but it never reached number one, even in home country... In the summer of 2002, the political composition Shoot The Dog was released - a satire on George W. Bush and Tony Blair, whom Michael accused of starting the war with Iraq. It was featured on the March 2004 album Patience, which debuted at # 1 in the UK.

Having survived pneumonia, Michael released his new single White Light in 2012, with which the performer performed at the closing of the 30th Olympic summer games in London. In 2014, the sixth disc by the musician Symphonica was released.

Personal life

In 1998, the singer confessed to the public that he was homosexual. For many years, George Michael hid his sexual tendencies out of fear of reprisals and judgments. He had an affair with model and actress Brooke Shields. Has been dating sports coach Kenny Goss for 15 years. On August 22, 2011, at the premiere of his Symphonica world tour, Michael said that he and Goss had parted ways 2 years before it kicked off.

Interesting Facts

Twice prosecuted for indecent behavior in public. Singer caught while having sex with men

Was convicted of driving while under the influence of marijuana