He was an idol for several generations, a talented singer and musician: the life and death of George Michael. Singer George Michael dies

On the night of December 26, it became known that the famous British singer George Michael. He was 53 years old. The artist died, which was destined to become a worldwide hit.

As Western agencies reported, the police did not see any suspicious circumstances in the artist’s death, however, the exact cause of death was not announced - this will be done after an autopsy. The singer's manager Michael Lippman spoke about the heart attack.

In 2011, the singer became seriously ill. The media wrote that he was on the verge of life and death, and because of the ventilator he could lose his voice.

The musician later announced a full recovery. In 2015, Michael spent 400 thousand euros from cocaine addiction.

Photo: REUTERS

The singer's colleagues have already reacted to the sad event. The legendary Elton John posted a photo of Michael on his Instagram with the caption: "I am in deep shock - I have lost a beloved friend - a kind, generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart is with his family and his fans."

The singer's real name is Georgios Kyriakos Panayiotou. Born in London, he performed in the 1980s as the lead singer of Wham! It is in their version that the Christmas song Last Christmas is known.

In the late 1980s, Michael began solo career and received two Grammy Awards: for his debut solo album Faith (1987) and for the song I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (1986).

QUOTES BY GEORGE MICHAEL

  • I toyed with the idea of ​​bisexuality, but when they started talking about AIDS, I couldn't sleep with a woman without telling her that I'd been with men too. My attraction to women wasn't strong enough to make this conversation worth having, so I just decided to say goodbye to women.
  • I'm leaving show business. I can’t stop writing music - it’s in me, I know how to do it and I will do it. I just won't sell it. New songs can be downloaded from my official website. For free. Some singles for money - as part of charity events. Charity is perhaps the little thing that is worthy of respect.
  • It is difficult to convey what a stone lay on my heart in those days. I was looking for a balance between a cup of coffee at Starbucks and marijuana, and I settled for that. Then I barely survived terrible accident... Although if this huge truck killed me, I would be happy. Do you know why? I have given the world so much quality music that I can safely leave this world. My ego is fine.
  • I still believe that music is one of best gifts God to man.
  • I wouldn't want to be as public as Elton, although publicity is the only way to save a career. But I strive to have something personal. I don't need the show business machine spinning around me at 60 years old. Lord, no!

Content

The unexpected death of George Michael, the idol of many generations of different countries world, came as a surprise and a blow. They loved and idolized him, closely followed his work, and empathized with tragedies and failures. George Michael, whose cause of death has already been reliably established, passed away on December 25, 2016. He was only 53 years old.

Childhood and adolescence

The singer, who became world famous and beloved by millions of fans, was born in the UK on June 25, 1963. Small Motherland became the town of Finchley. The future star, known under the creative pseudonym George Michael, was actually named Georgios Kyriakos Panayiota. His father is Cypriot - he emigrated to England in the 50s and here married Leslie Harrison. My father eventually became the manager of a small family restaurant, where he was treated to his favorite Greek cuisine. Mom was a wonderful dancer. There were three children in the family - Georgios had two older sisters, Yoda and Melanie. It was the sisters who raised their brother - the parents were constantly busy.

As a child, the future sex symbol had a lot of problems with his appearance and relationships among his peers - the boy had poor vision and wore glasses, was overweight and for this constantly became the object of ridicule and attacks from his classmates. His parents forced him to learn to play the violin and this caused protest from the guy. But about my stellar career he began to dream from childhood - the guy from the age of 7 showed his musical abilities, reproducing tunes and songs that were then heard on the radio. My father didn't like this much. But my mother supported her son in this hobby - she once gave him a voice recorder, which had a recording option.

Music that burst into his life

The boy was delighted with the songs performed by Elton John; he liked the style of the then incredibly popular Queen. With the family moving to Hertfordshire and entering new school There was a significant change in the boy’s fate. Here in 1975 he met a native of Egypt, Andrew Ridgeley, who supervised him and helped him get used to his new place. David Austin eventually joined them and the three began performing covers of Beatles songs in a subway crossing. There was no time left for study - music began to dominate Georgios' life and became the defining love of his life. The guys, having also invited Paul Riggi and Andrew Leaver to join the team, created the team The Executive. It was a useful experience and on the basis of this group, over time, the duet Wham! appeared, which brought real popularity. By this time future star changed in appearance - he stopped wearing glasses and lost a lot of weight. In 1982, the creative pseudonym George Michael appeared, under which he was recognized throughout the world and which brought deafening fame.

Music career


Duet Wham! - This is the image of young and carefree playmakers. During this period, songs were released that became business cards groups. The first album Fantastic appeared. Over time, the image of the musicians changed, a contract was signed with the Epic label, and new album Make It Big. After this there were two more years of triumph. But at some point, George was no longer satisfied with the image of a teenager with no worries and hooligan tendencies imposed by the producers. At the peak of their popularity, the group broke up and Michael began a solo career.

His debut was the song “Careless Whisper” in 1984, and since 1986 he released his first solo album, Faith, which received a Grammy. There were ups and downs litigation with the Sony record label. The breakthrough was the scandalous video Freeek!, which appeared in 2003 and the subsequent release of the album Patience. In 2006, the singer went on a concert tour around the world. In 2014, the sixth, and last, album “Symphonica” was released.

Personal life

First in narrow circles, and then more and more loudly, they began to talk about non-traditional sexual orientation Michael. He himself did not advertise his relationships with men for a long time - they say that he was wary of condemnation and misunderstanding from his family. In 1991, he had an affair with Anselmo Feleppa, a designer who “rewarded” him with HIV. Later this became a reason to believe that the name of George Michael and the cause of death, AIDS, are connected.

The singer indirectly spoke about his love for men in the album “Older”. He changed his image - leather things, short haircut. It was a difficult period - his mother, who was his guardian angel, died, and there were constant attacks from the media. In 1998, the singer made up his mind and openly declared that he was gay. It is known that George had a relationship with Kenny Goss.

Cause of death and will

What did George Michael die from? this question worried his fans and ordinary people who were waiting juicy details. Someone put forward a version of AIDS, someone blamed drugs - the singer really suffered and tried to get rid of this harmful addiction. But still - Why did George Michael die? After all, he was only 53 years old and he reached incredible heights at musical Olympus, had wealth and love. At the same time, the singer was actively engaged charitable activities, but never advertised it and did not turn the impulses of the soul into PR.

He helped various charities, supported HIV-infected people, cancer patients, and a British helpline for teenagers and children. George even volunteered at a shelter for homeless people. specific place residence. He was worth more than $120 million at the time of his death and owned mansions in New York, London, Sydney and Oxfordshire, where he died. He bequeathed these funds to his sisters and numerous godchildren, in whose lives he always took an active part. Also, the funds were transferred at his will to charitable foundations.

As it turned out, singer George Michael, whose cause of death was a heart attack, suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver. His last lover, Kenny Goss, who found him at home in Oxfordshire, believes that his addiction to drugs led to this. On December 29, an autopsy was performed on the body of George Michael, the cause of death was named as heart failure.

Some celebrity fans are wondering where George Michael is buried? His ashes rest in Highgate Cemetery, next to his mother's grave. Due to lengthy examinations, the ceremony took place only on March 29, 2017 in a chamber setting.


The singer was 53 years old. According to the BBC, his publisher announced his death at about 11 p.m.

Police have not established the cause of death, but did not find any suspicious circumstances, the Mirror reports. According to the newspaper, the singer was found dead at about 1:42 p.m. on Saturday.

Singer George Michael died suddenly at home in Goring, Oxfordshire, on December 25. He was 53 years old. His death was announced by his publisher at around 11 p.m., the BBC reported. Police have not established the cause of death, but did not find any suspicious circumstances, the Mirror reports. According to the newspaper, the singer was found dead at about 1:42 p.m. on Saturday.

The musician's manager, Michael Lippman, told the media that the singer's heart had failed. According to him, he was told that George Michael was found dead in bed, when exactly he died is unclear, but there was definitely nothing criminal there.

The date and place of the funeral will be announced later.

Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou was born on June 24, 1963 in London in the family of a restaurateur from Cyprus and an English dancer. In 1981, together with school friend Andrew Ridgeley, with whom they played school group and dreamed about musical career, he created the duo Wham! Their first album, Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do), released in June 1982, did not gain much success, but the next one - Young Guns (Go For It) - hit the British charts, and then MTV helped the duo get promoted in the USA.

Two albums of Wham! became first in the charts, among the group's hits were Last Christmas, Club Tropicana and Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. From 1982 to 1986 Wham! sold more than 25 million records, but in the spring of 1986 the duo broke up.

In total, Michael released seven albums, the last of them, Symphonica, released in June 1982. As noted by the BBC, his solo career made him a multimillionaire and gave him two Grammys (for the album Faith and for the duet with Aretha Franklin I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)), four MTV Video Music Awards and three American Music Awards. He successfully collaborated with such stars as Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Ray Charles, Luciano Pavarotti and Queen. He has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.

George Michael was detained several times due to drug problems. In 2010, he received a short sentence for driving under the influence of drugs.

A 1998 arrest on charges of indecent exposure in a public toilet led the musician to speak publicly about his sexual orientation.

In 2011, Michael suffered a severe case of pneumonia and, as reported at the time, barely survived. Due to the illness, he could have lost his voice, but the musician later announced his full recovery.

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Life, legendary British pop singer George Michael has died. In a cruel twist of fate, the singer of the hit "Last Christmas" died on Christmas Day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm that our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home on Christmas Day,” the BBC quoted the star’s spokesman as saying. -The family asks for respect privacy during this difficult time.

Life previously said that one of the supposed causes of the singer’s death was heart failure. The singer's manager later confirmed that heart attack took the life of a world famous performer.

- Every 4th inhabitant of the Earth who died a sudden death dies precisely because of heart failure, - explains cardiac surgeon Vladimir Khoroshev. - Over the years, negative factors affecting the heart accumulate. First, various parts of the heart weaken, then blood flow is disrupted, and swelling appears. People, for example, begin to notice that they have marks from socks on their feet (indicating swelling. - Approx. edit). Then stagnation occurs in the systemic circulation (pelvic organs, liver). Then at some point a heart rhythm disturbance appears. All this can cause sudden death, often even lightning fast.

The heart surgeon believes that the cause of the singer’s heart failure could have been a severe form of pneumonia suffered in 2011. Then the media reported that the world's favorite was dying: Michael was connected to a ventilator. Many thought that a serious illness would end the singer’s career. But in the same year, George Michael announced that the disease had subsided, he was absolutely healthy and ready to continue delighting the public with his hits.

Pneumonia, especially such a complicated one, never goes away without consequences, says Khoroshev. - The activity of the surfactant apparatus is complicated (surfactant is a substance inside the lungs. - Approx. ed.) - It is he who is responsible for enriching the blood with oxygen. The wall of the alveoli ("bubbles" inside the lungs. - Approx. ed.) thickens after pneumonia, and the capillary blood flow is always heavier. The right side of the heart, which is responsible for pushing blood through the pulmonary circulation (passes through the lungs to enrich it with oxygen), is under heavy load. And this leads to the formation of chronic heart failure.

Let us remember that Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou (this is the real name of George Michael) was born on June 25, 1963 in London. For several years he performed in the duo Wham!, but George Michael gained worldwide popularity as solo artist. For his work, the singer was awarded two Grammy awards.

The British singer died at the age of 54. former soloist group "Wham!" George Michael. “It is with great sadness that we can confirm that our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period. The family requests privacy during this emotional and difficult time. On at this stage There will be no further comments,” the BBC quoted the artist’s advertising agent as saying.

It is noted that Mr. Michael died at home. On this moment official reason death has not been established, while Billboard reports that the singer died due to heart failure. There were no “suspicious circumstances”, police said.

British singer Elton John, who performed the song “Don't let the sun go down on me” with George Michael, said that he was grieving over the death of a friend. “I am deeply shocked. I have lost a beloved friend - the kindest and most generous soul and a brilliant artist, my heart is with his family, friends and all his fans,” the singer wrote on his page. Instagram. Musicians Mark Ronson, Liam Gallagher, and Ryan Adams also expressed their condolences.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on his Twitter account Twitter wrote that he was "very sad to hear the news about George Michael." Mr Khan called the singer "an incredible talent who brought joy to millions of us with his music".

British musician Greek origin George Michael (real name Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou) was born in 1963 in London. His career began in 1981 when he formed The Executives with his school friend Andrew Ridgeley, later renamed Wham! The duo achieved success; such compositions as “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “Last Christmas”, “Careless Whisper” are known all over the world. After the breakup of Wham! George Michael began a solo career and subsequently released several albums.

For two years - from 2000 to 2002 - the performer had a short creative break. George Michael tried to regain his former popularity by releasing the song “Freeek!” with a bright video clip, but even in the UK the composition did not become the most popular. Also in 2002, the singer released clip to the song “Shoot The Dog” - a satire on the American president of those years, George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mr. Blair is represented in the song as Mr. Bush's "dog", which the American leader successfully manipulates.

In 2012, George Michael became the first pop artist to perform solo concert on the stage of the Paris Opera. Shortly before this, he interrupted his tour due to health problems: the singer fell ill with severe pneumonia, about which the British tabloids wrote a lot. However, Mr. Michael underwent treatment and returned to the stage at the closing ceremony Olympic Games in London. He could have performed ten years earlier at the opening ceremony of another Olympics - in Athens, but refused the offer to write the anthem of the 2004 Games and perform it.

The singer received MTV awards five times and Grammy twice: in 1987 for the best R&B duet with Aretha Franklin (“I Knew You Were Waiting”) and in 1988 in the category “Album of the Year” (“Faith”). "Faith" went to number one solo album George Michael. Billboard magazine named this disc the best-selling disc of 1987 in the United States - then fans of the artist’s work bought more than 16 million copies. Latest album singer “Symphonica” was released two years ago.

Maria Eliseeva


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