"There's something deep inside of me
There's someone I forgot to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Don’t think that I’ll be back again
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man"
Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, in London, George Michael went from teen idol to gay icon, selling over 100 million records along the way. First as half of bubble-gum Wham!, then as a sensitive artist and complicated human being
Wham! exploded onto the early 1980s with day-glo exuberance. "Fantastic" and "Make It Big" delivered pure pop perfection—"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Freedom," and "Everything She Wants." But it was "Careless Whisper" that hinted at something deeper. More subtle. George Michael was more than a pretty face with perfect hair, he could write real songs. Good songs.
"Faith" (1987) was an artist still wrapped in expectation. The leather jacket, the stubble, the sunglasses—this wasn't the Wham! kid anymore, even though the 1950s influences were still prominent.. Faith spawned four number-one singles and proved he could do it all: rock, funk, blue-eyed soul, and pure pop. He played nearly every instrument, wrote every song, and produced it alone. But he was still out of tune with who he was.
That would change with "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1" (1990). He became an artist wrestling with fame, sexuality, and authenticity. The supermodel-filled "Freedom 90" became a gay anthem, while George, fighting with his label, stayed out of the frame. He was still very much in the public eye — and public bathrooms — however.
His arrest in Beverly Hills, his coming out—George's personal life sometimes overshadowed his music. But both were growing. "Older" (1996) was a meditation on love and loss, deeply personal, meditative, but a work that retained his ability to poke fun at his flaws.
"Patience" (2004) proved he still had it, delivering dance floor fillers like "Amazing" and "Flawless" alongside introspective ballads. Even when the tabloids were cruel, the voice remained flawless, the melodies undeniable.
Live, George Michael was magnetic. That voice could go from a whisper to a roar, handling everything from Elton John covers to Queen duets.
His death on Christmas Day 2016 felt particularly cruel—the man who gave us "Last Christmas" left us on that day.
George was complicated. Perfectionistic. Temperamental. Hedonistic. He was described as "impossible" to work with yet quietly and anonymously gave millions to charity. He wasn't just a pop star. He was a massive voice who could write songs and a producer who understood groove and melody.
Five solo albums, countless hits. One of the great voices of his era. A young George Michael sought the spotlight, as he grew, he hid from it, and as an artist he shone it on himself.
