Table of Biography
George Michael was a singer, and songwriter, from England. George Michael is regarded as one of the most important cultural icons of the MTV generation, as well as one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with over 120 million records sold worldwide.
Early Life and Childhood
George Michael was born on June 25, 1963, in East Finchley, London, United Kingdom. He was a naturalized British citizen and Christian by religion.
Similarly, his full name was Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou and his birth sign was Cancer. His father, Kyriacos “Jack” Panayiotou (also known as Jack Panos), was a Greek Cypriot restaurateur who moved to England in the 1950s from Patriki, Cyprus. Lesley Angold (born Harrison, died 1997), his mother, was an English dancer.
Michael revealed to the Los Angeles Times in June 2008 that his maternal grandmother was Jewish, but she married a non-Jewish man and raised her children with no knowledge of their Jewish heritage due to her fear during WWII.
Moreover, Michael spent the majority of his childhood in Kingsbury, London, in the house his parents purchased shortly after his birth. Yoda (born 1958) and Melanie (1960–2019) were Michael’s two sisters
Talking about his educational background, he attended Roe Green Junior School and Kingsbury High School.
Death
George Michael died on December 25, 2016, at the age of 53 in Goring, United Kingdom.
Career and Professional Life
He rose to prominence as a musician after forming the pop group Wham! with a school friend, Andrew Ridgeley. Their first album, ‘Fantastic,’ (1983), debuted at number one in the United Kingdom. Wham! lasted five years and had four number-one singles and two number-one albums during that time.
The majority of their other releases made the top three. George also contributed to the Band-Aid single and went on to have two more solo number-one hits with ‘Careless Whisper’ and ‘A Different Corner.’
Following the dissolution of Wham!, George went on to have a hugely successful solo career, with his debut album ‘Faith’ (1987) and the single of the same name becoming instant and international successes.
Since then, the album has been certified, Diamond. George has had eight number-one albums and thirteen number-one singles in the UK over the last four decades (including Wham!, Band-Aid, and the ‘Five Live’ EP). He has two number-one albums and ten number-one singles in the United States, as well as numerous other number-one hits around the world.
Moreover, he has performed duets with Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Queen, and Lisa Stansfield, and he actively supports charitable causes, with Live Aid and the Freddie Mercury AIDS concert being two of the most notable examples. According to a BBC documentary, George gave more than £5 million to various charities.
Furthermore, during his time with Wham!, he donated the entire proceeds from ‘Last Christmas’ (1984) to charity. The single peaked at number two in the UK, and George also appeared on the number one charity single ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ at the same time.
In 2008, George released the single ‘December Song’ as a free download, hoping that purchasers would donate money to charity. Until he died in 2016, he maintained contact with his Wham! partner and long-time friend Andrew Ridgeley.
Caption: George Michael in a stage show. Source: The New Yorker
Awards and Nomination
Michael won three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male Artist twice—four MTV Video Music Awards, six Ivor Novello Awards, three American Music Awards including two in the traditionally-black Soul/R&B category, and two Grammy Awards from eight nominations during his 30-year career.
Moreover, in 2015, Billboard ranked him 45th on its list of the “Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time.” According to the Radio Academy, Michael was the most frequently played artist on British radio from 1984 to 2004. Smooth Radio named Michael the greatest artist of all time in 2019.
George Michael – Net Worth 2022
Michael was a singer, songwriter, and record producer from England who earned a considerable income from his work. Michael’s estimated net worth was around $200 million. Also, Michael used to receive an annual salary of $2 million and his source of income was mainly his singing profession.
In 1989, George Michael appeared in a Diet Coke commercial.
Caption: George Michael at his home. Source: Vogue
Relationship Status
Michael was in a relationship with make-up artist Kathy Jeung in the late 1980s. Michael began dating Anselmo Feleppa, a Brazilian dress designer whom he met at the Rock in Rio concert 1991, in 1992.
Similarly, Michael started dating Kenny Goss, a former flight attendant, cheerleading coach, and sportswear executive from Dallas, Texas, in 1996. Michael began dating Fadi Fawaz, a Lebanese-Australian celebrity hairstylist and freelance photographer based in London, in 2012.
Scandal
His personal life, drug use, and legal problems made headlines in the late 1990s and early 2000s when he was arrested for public lewdness in 1998 and later for multiple drug-related offenses. Later, in 1998, he came out as gay.
Body Measurements
Talking about his height Michael was 5 Feet 11 inches tall and weighed 75kg. Similarly, Michael’s eye color was brown and his hair color was black. Also, Michael’s shoe size was 12(US).
Caption: George Michael giving a pose. Source: GQ
George Michael – Social Media
Michael was very active on Instagram. He has 550k followers on Instagram and owns an Insta account @georgemofficial. Similarly, his Twitter handle @GeorgeMOfficial is followed by 89.3k followers. His Facebook account is @georgemichael and has 3.7M followers. Also, Michael has his website https://www.georgemichael.com/