George Michael died on December 25, 2016. The sudden death of the singer shook the musical world. The fans had a hard time believing in the unexpected departure of their beloved artist. Soon it will be five years that George Michael is not with us. To this day, however, there are many speculations and rumors about the musician's death. Did the artist commit suicide? Or maybe someone is to blame for this tragedy? Let's take a look at the life and circumstances of George Michael's death.
George Michael, or rather Geórgios Kyriákos Panajiótu, was born on June 25, 1963, in London. He was the son of a Greek restaurant owner and an English dancer. Parents quickly discovered their child's musical abilities. They've always cheered on George. Especially since the boy has never dreamed of a different profession. He wanted to become a singer at all costs and sing in his own band. While Michael was studying at one of London's high schools, he met Andrew Ridgeley. It turned out that the boys had a lot in common. Both Andrew and George wanted to start a music band. So they decided to join forces - in this way, in 1981, the famous band Wham! Was formed.
In the newly formed band, George Michael was the main vocalist, but also an instrumentalist and song composer. Andrew remained in the shadows, taking care of the stage image of the band. The young men recorded a few demo songs that one of the music labels liked. Thanks to this, the musicians were able to release their first album, Fantastic (1983). After the success of the first album, the band Wham! Sony's label became interested. Together with her, the artists released the album Make it Big (1984). The second album made the band recognizable all over the world. Wham! gained international fame.
Two years later, the musicians released their last joint album, Music from the Edge of Heaven. It included the song "Last Christmas", which to this day is played on all radio stations during the holiday season. Wham! Team ceased operations in 1986. George Michael wanted to start composing his own music that would be dedicated to a more demanding audience.
George Michael has released five solo albums. He managed, step by step, to build one of the greatest solo music careers. The shy musician changed his image, transforming from a sweet boy into a "naughty man". This image changed over the years, along with the metamorphoses in Michael's life. The musician's trademark was finally two-day stubble, glasses and stylish suits.
One of the more interesting and little-known facts is that after the death of Freddie Mercury, the musician took part in the concert of The Freddie Mercury Tribute. He performed three songs by Freddie, thus paying tribute to the deceased singer. Queen members were so fascinated by Michael's vocals that they offered him… to take over the role of the band's frontman. George Michael did not accept Queen's offer as he was keen on developing his own solo career.
Michael's amazing success was intertwined with numerous scandals in his life. In 1993, the life partner of the musician, Brazilian designer Anselmo Feleppa, died. It turned out that Anselmo was infected with HIV. Not long after the designer was diagnosed with the disease, he suffered a stroke and was paralyzed. For a long time, George was unable to recover from the death of his beloved. He disappeared from the scene for several years, plunging into mourning. In interviews for the press, given a few years later, he said that it was the most depressing time in his life. As he began to recover from the death of Anselmo Feleppa, George's mother died. The musician broke down and started looking for solace in stimulants.
The death of two loved ones made George Michael lose his joy in life. He fell into a deep depression that he couldn't get out of. He drowned his sadness in alcohol and drugs, and occasionally had sex with random people. In 1998, the police caught the artist in a public sex act, which was not unnoticed by the media. Pressed against the wall, George decided to officially come out, i.e. reveal his sexual orientation. It was another difficult experience for the artist. Even though the world was living the musician's sexual orientation every day and spreading new rumors, Michael did not seem to care. He managed to continue his solo career, although returning to the stage was not the easiest one. The reality was overwhelming George Michael every day, and he was exhausted by it himself.
In 2006, a musician was caught possessing drugs. The following year he was caught red-handed - Michael was driving under the influence of drugs, which resulted in his loss of his driving license. In 2008, George Michael was caught again in possession of drugs. This time the court sentenced him to two months in prison. Due to the constant conflict with the law, Michael's relationship with Kenny Goss, an entrepreneur and art collector, collapsed. The couple was together until thirteen years. Kenny couldn't cope with his partner's problems. He also couldn't accept the fact that Michael was constantly cheating on him. Being in a relationship didn't stop George from finding new sexual experiences.
The singer had more and more health problems from year to year. From 2011, he began notoriously postponing concerts. Constant infections of the throat burdened with singing and chronic stress meant that George Michael could no longer go on a multi-month tour. He was getting weaker not only mentally but also physically.
On November 21, 2011, the singer woke up in the morning. He felt a tremendous pain in his chest. He was hospitalized, where Michael was diagnosed with severe pneumonia. The singer's condition was critical. Doctors tried to help the artist with drugs. Indeed, the medications did help - but only for a few days. The musician had heart problems and finally… collapse. George Michael was put into a pharmacological coma. Fortunately, the musician saved the specialist life support equipment. Michael left the hospital at the end of December.
On Christmas 2016, the musical world fell silent. On December 25, George Michael died - he was found dead in bed on an estate in Oxfordshire. The musician's body was found by his partner at the time, Fadi Fawaz. At first, the public media reported that George had died of a heart attack. However, the autopsy did not resolve this issue, so rumors and speculations about the musician's death began to appear. It was suspected that Michael was murdered by someone. In addition, the police initially published information that the singer's death was due to unclear reasons. This compounded the rumors. Numerous conspiracy theories have emerged around the singer's death. George Michael was buried in North London at Highgate Cemetery. He rested near his beloved mother.
The media was still in turmoil. Some accused Fadi Fawaz of murdering George Michael. Others suggested that the singer may have committed suicide. After all, he went through a real hell, losing one by one his loved ones - the love of life and his mother. He fell into depression and alcoholism, and became addicted to drugs. Did all of this accumulate in the artist over the years until it finally exploded? Elton John himself admitted that George Michael's death was inevitable. Especially since Michael was addicted to drugs and reportedly told Elton many times that he was fed up with everything. Elton John encouraged his friend to try to take care of himself and change his attitude towards life. Fadi Fawaz confirmed Elton's words by saying that George could indeed have taken his own life. Apparently he tried to do it four times.
London doctors said that many years of loneliness and enormous stress contributed to the death of George Michael. For many years, the musician's body produced an excessive amount of cortisol, and this had a negative impact on the work of his heart - and later on the functioning of all organs. An Oxfordshire coroner (Darren Salter) finally established that George Michael had died of natural causes. The musician suffered from a rare condition, namely dilated cardiomyopathy. He also struggled with myocarditis. Throat infections, heart problems, excessive alcohol consumption, and chronic stress have accumulated to take the artist's life at just 53 years old.
Bibliography:
- Jovanovic Rob: George Michael, Wielka Litera Publishing House, Warsaw 2017
- Emily Herbert: George Michael - The Life: 1963-2016, Bonnier Publishing Fiction Ltd, London 2017
- Ridgeley Andrew: Wham! George i ja, Znak Horyzont Publishing House, Warsaw 2020
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