OBIT

George Michael of Wham! fame dies at 53

George Michael Obit [File] George Michael performs at a concert to raise money for the AIDS charity Sidaction, during the Symphonica tour at Palais Garnier Opera house in Paris | AP

British singer George Michael, who became one of the pop idols of the 1980s with Wham! and then  forged a career as a successful solo artist with sometimes sexually provocative lyrics, died at his home in England on  Sunday. He was 53.

In the mid-1980s, Wham! was one of the most successful pop  duos ever, ahead even of Simon & Garfunkel, with singles like  Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Careless Whisper, Last  Christmas and The Edge of Heaven.

"It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved  son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home  over the Christmas period," his publicist said in a statement.

"The family would ask that their privacy be respected at  this difficult and emotional time. There will be no further  comment at this stage," the statement said.British police said Michael's death was "unexplained but not  suspicious.

"Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou June 25, 1963 in London to  Greek Cypriot immigrant parents in a flat above a north London  laundrette, Michael once played music on the London underground  train system before finding fame with Wham!.With a school friend, Andrew Ridgeley, he formed Wham! in  1981, a partnership that would produce some of the most  memorable pop songs and dance-floor favorites of the 1980s.

"I am in deep shock," said Elton John. "I have lost a  beloved friend - the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant  artist. My heart goes out to his family and all of his fans.  @GeorgeMichael #RIP."

'I WANT YOUR SEX'

The duo had their first hit with their second release  Young Guns (Go For It) (1982) before their debut release  Wham Rap became a hit the following year. The 1984 album  Make It Big was a huge success in the United States."No way could I have done it without Andrew," Michael once  said. "I can't think of anybody who would have been so perfect  in allowing something which started out as a very naive, joint  ambition, to become what was still a huge double act but what  was really...mine.

"But Michael was keen to reach beyond Wham!'s teenage  audience and to experiment with other genres. Wham! announced  their split in 1986.

A pilot solo single I Want Your Sex was banned by daytime  radio stations but was one of his biggest hits. I want your sex, I want you, I want your sex, he sang. "So  why don't you just let me go, I'd really like to try, Oh I'd  really love to know, When you tell me you're gonna regret it,  Then I tell you that I love you but you still say no!"In the space of the next five years, Michael had six US  Number One hit singles including Faith, Father Figure,  One More Try, Praying For Time and a duet with Aretha  Franklin I Knew You Were Waiting For Me.

Questions about his sexuality were raised when he was  arrested in 1998 for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public  restroom of the Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills,  California."I feel stupid and reckless and weak for letting my  sexuality be exposed that way," Michael told CNN at the time.  "But I do not feel shame [about my sexuality], neither do I  think I should."

"I can try to fathom why I did what I did," he continued,  "but at the end of the day, I have to admit that maybe part of  the kick was that I might get found out," he told CNN.

Though he had relationships with women and once told family  members that he was bisexual, Michael, then 34, said he was gay.

"Rest with the glittering stars, George Michael," said Star Trek actor and LGBT rights activist George Takei. "You've found  your Freedom, your Faith. It was your Last Christmas, and we  shall miss you."While Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was in power, Michael  voted for Britain's opposition Labour Party but criticised Tony  Blair's support for George W. Bush's 2003 invasion of Iraq.

"Sad to hear that George Michael has died," said current  Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. "He was an exceptional artist  and a strong supporter of LGBT and workers' rights."

Michael's death comes at the end of a year that has seen the  passing of several music superstars, including David Bowie,  Prince and Leonard Cohen. Rick Parfitt, the guitarist of British  rock group Status Quo, died on Saturday at 68.  

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Topics : #music

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