George Michael
George Michael (born June 25, 1963 in Finchley , Middlesex as Georgios Kyriacos Panagiotou, Greek Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου ; † December 25, 2016 in Goring-on-Thames , Oxfordshire ) was a British singer , composer , songwriter and music producer .
Michael founded the duo Wham! Together with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981 . and released his first solo album in 1987 entitled Faith , which became the most commercially successful album of his career. His most successful songs are Careless Whisper , Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go and Last Christmas . More than 100 million of his records have been sold and Michael has received two Grammy Awards .
Life
George Michael was the son of a British mother (1937-1997) and a Greek Cypriot father (* 1936) who came to London in the 1950s and owned a restaurant. Michael's father later adopted the name Jack Panos. George Michael was in Finchley born, a Municipal Borough in the former county of Middlesex and today part of London, and grew up in Kingsbury in the borough of Brent , North London on. He has two older sisters.
Dealing with homosexuality
In the early 1980s, Michael was aware that he was "at least bisexual ". Of a coming-out he was discouraged. At the Rock in Rio music festival in January 1991, Michael met his future partner, the Brazilian Anselmo Feleppa (1956-1993). “From then on it was clear. It's not about whether you go to bed with a man or a woman, but with whom you fall in love, ”Michael said in an interview. At Christmas 1991 Feleppa announced that he was HIV positive. In March 1993 he died of a cerebral haemorrhage as a result of AIDS . Michael hadn't caught the virus. After the death of his partner and his mother, Michael had " writer's block " and consumed drugs . Since the 1990s, Michael had repeatedly struggled with addiction problems.
Arrested and sentenced in 1998
On April 7, 1998, Michael was arrested by a plainclothes officer while cruising in a public toilet in Will Rogers Park on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles . He was fined $ 810, 80 hours of community service in a youth organization, and counseling. The news in the mass media revealed that Michael was gay.
Michael said that he must have unconsciously longed for risky situations and a public scandal. From then on Michael spoke to the media about his homosexuality and his then partner Kenny Goss. In protest against the April 7, 1998 incident, Michael recorded the single Outside and made a music video that included arrests for "immoral behavior" and two police officers kissing. In Europe, the single became the biggest success since Wham !, in the US, however, the song was rarely played on the radio. The police officer Marcelo Rodriguez, who arrested Michael, saw himself mocked by the video and objected to Michael's statements that he had set a trap and showed him his penis . Rodriguez filed a $ 10 million lawsuit in 1999 for defamation and libel. He demanded compensation for humiliation, emotional stress and medical treatment, as well as an additional fine and the assumption of court costs. After the lawsuit was dismissed in the first instance in 2000, an appeals court admitted the appeal in 2002. In the end, the court ruled that Rodriguez, as a civil servant, could not claim damages.
Arrested and sentenced in 2010
On July 4, 2010, George Michael was arrested in London after hitting a building in Hampstead with his car . He was released on bail. In September 2010 he was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, a € 1,400 fine and five years' driving license for driving under the influence of drugs. Michael was released early from prison on October 11, 2010, after serving just under four weeks in prison.
death
George Michael died at his Oxfordshire home on December 25, 2016, aged 53. The magazine Billboard reported, citing Michael's manager Michael Lippman that the singer at heart failure died. An autopsy revealed that Michael had dilated cardiomyopathy . An inflammatory disease of the heart muscle ( myocarditis ) and fatty liver were also found. He was buried in the Highgate North Land Cemetery in London .
estate
Michael had two sisters, Yioda (* 1962) and Melanie Panayiotou (1964-2019). Along with the father, they were the main heirs to the estate, which is estimated at around £ 100 million (112 million euros ). His younger sister Melanie, a hairdresser and make-up artist by profession, took care of hairstyles and make-up for Michaels and other band and tour members. She died three years later on the same day. His long-term partner Fadi F. did not participate in the estate.
Career
Wham! (1981-1986)
In 1981 Michael founded the duo Wham! With his former school friend Andrew Ridgeley . which existed until 1986. The group was able to achieve four number one placements in Great Britain. Some of the most commercially successful songs include Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (1984), Last Christmas (1984), Everything She Wants (1984) and I'm Your Man (1985).
Solo career (1987–1989)
Michael's debut album as a solo artist was the album Faith , released in autumn 1987 , which achieved four number one hits in the US Billboard charts with the singles Faith, Father Figure, One More Try and Monkey . For the album Faith Michael received a Grammy Award in 1989 in the category "Album of the Year".
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990-1994)
In the late summer of 1990 the second solo album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was released . Despite good reviews, the commercial success lagged well behind that of its predecessor Faith . A total of around eight million records have been sold worldwide to date.
On April 20, 1992, he sang three tracks at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert . He also gave a short speech to warn of the dangers of AIDS .
Older (1995-1997)
After several years of legal dispute with Sony , which Michael lost, he released his third solo album, Older, with the record company Virgin in the spring of 1996 . The song Jesus to a Child was released as a pre- single in autumn 1995 . Virgin bought Michael out of his then-valid Sony contract for a few million dollars because Michael no longer wanted to work with Sony. The new contract stipulated, among other things, that Virgin George Michael was allowed to market worldwide, with the exception of the USA ; there the production company DreamWorks (including Steven Spielberg ) had secured the rights.
Best of CD and contract fulfillment (1998-2003)
In the fall of 1998 Michael released the greatest hits album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael, which reached number 1 on the BBC charts. The double CD includes the song Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, a duet with Elton John . In addition, a cover version of the Stevie Wonder song As, recorded in a duet with Mary J. Blige , can be found on the compilation.
At the end of 1999 Michael released the album Songs from the Last Century , which can be assigned to the music genre swing . In it, Michael pays tribute to some of the most successful songwriters of the 20th century. Torrie Zito acted as arranger . After that album Michael had fulfilled his Virgin / DreamWorks contract. In mid-2000 he recorded the single If I Told You That with Whitney Houston .
In the spring of 2002 Michael released the single Freeek !, which was released by the record company Polydor ( Universal ). Michael signed a contract that required him to release two singles. He met the conditions with Shoot the Dog, a song that criticized George W. Bush and Tony Blair's policies.
Last commercial album and Twenty Five (2004-2007)
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In early 2004 Michael announced that his album Patience , which was released again by Sony, would be his last commercially available work. He just wanted to make his music available for download free of charge on his homepage . The song Through is a look back at his career. In the song My Mother Had a Brother , he tells the story about a lookalike him maternal uncle on the day of Michael's birth suicide committed because he did not get along with his homosexuality.
In 2005 Michael presented the autobiographical documentary A Different Story at the Berlinale and announced that he would retire from the music business.
On the occasion of his 25th stage anniversary, Michael announced his first tour since 1991 with the name 25 Live , which also took him to Germany. At the same time, his new best-of album, Twenty Five, was released, which also includes some Wham! contains. New songs include An Easier Affair, which was released as a pre-release single in July 2006, and This Is Not Real Love (duet with Mutya Buena ). The album also contains a new version of the song Heal the Pain, first published on Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 , which he recorded in a duet with Paul McCartney .
At the turn of the year 2006/2007, George Michael gave an hour-long appearance at a party of a Russian oligarch for 1.5 million British pounds, according to media reports.
Guest appearances in television series and other musical activities (2008-2016)
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In 2008 Michael had a few guest appearances on the first season of the American drama series Eli Stone . The episodes are named after songs by Michael, as the producer of the series is a fan of the singer.
In December 2008 the Christmas song December Song, originally written for the Spice Girls , was released for free download for 24 hours. On December 11th, 2009 the song was released on CD for the first time, supplemented by three bonus or live tracks not yet released on CD.
On November 21, 2011 Michael canceled a concert in Vienna . He was treated for pneumonia at the Vienna General Hospital for a month ; the rest of his ongoing tour has also been canceled. He processed the experience of his hospital stay in the song White Light, which he dedicated to the hospital staff.
On August 12, 2012, Michael performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. On September 9, 2012, he gave another concert as part of a charity gala against AIDS at the Opéra Garnier in Paris. He was accompanied by a symphony orchestra and presented songs from his new album Symphonica.
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 UK
|
 US
|
|||
| 1987 | Faith |
DE3  (46 weeks)DE |
AT3 (38 weeks) AT |
CH4th  × 2
(32 weeks)CH |
UK1 × 4
(92 weeks)UK |
US1  (96 weeks)US |
First published: October 30, 1987
Sales: +14,005,000 |
| 1990 | Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 |
DE7th (33 weeks)DE |
AT5 (15 weeks)AT |
CH3 (16 weeks)CH |
UK1 × 4
(74 weeks)UK |
US2 × 2
(44 weeks)US |
First published: September 3, 1990
Sales: + 4,780,000 |
| 1996 | Older |
DE3 (57 weeks)DE |
AT1 (33 weeks)AT |
CH2 (27 weeks)CH |
UK1 × 6
(116 weeks)UK |
US6th (24 weeks)US |
First published: May 13, 1996
Sales: + 6,555,000 |
| 1999 | Songs from the Last Century |
DE4th (16 weeks)DE |
AT12 (9 weeks) AT |
CH6th (13 weeks)CH |
UK2 × 2
(26 weeks)UK |
US157 (7 weeks) US |
First published: December 6th, 1999
Sales: + 2,100,000 |
| 2004 | patience |
DE1 (19 weeks)DE |
AT3 (14 weeks)AT |
CH2 (20 weeks)CH |
UK1 × 2
(30 weeks)UK |
US12 (16 weeks) US |
First published: March 15, 2004
Sales: + 1,470,000 |
Awards
-
American Music Awards
- Favorite Male Vocalist (Pop / Rock) (1989)
- Favorite Male Vocalist (Soul / R & B) (1989)
- Favorite Album (Soul / R & B): Faith (1989)
-
BRIT Awards
- Best British Male (1988, 1997)
- Best British Album: Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1991)
-
Grammy Awards
- Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Duo or Group: I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (1988)
- Album of the Year: Faith (1989)
-
Golden Raspberry
- Worst Song: I Want Your Sex (1988)
-
Ivor Novello Award
- Songwriter of the Year (1985, 1989, 1996)
- International Hit of the Year: Faith (1989)
-
MTV Europe Music Awards
- Best Male (1996)
-
MTV Video Music Awards
- Best Direction in a Video : Father Figure ( 1988 )
- Video Vanguard (Career Achievement) ( 1989 )
- International Viewer's Choice Award: Papa Was a Rollin 'Stone ( 1993 ), Fastlove ( 1996 )
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Tour Archive (English)
- George Michael at laut.de
- Literature by and about George Michael in the catalog of the German National Library
- George Michael in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- George Michael on MusicBrainz (English)
- ARD.de special on the death of George Michael ARD
- The 33 best songs by George Michael , by Sassan Niasseri, Rolling Stone , December 26, 2016
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael seeking 'a quieter life'. BBC , June 12, 2008, accessed August 21, 2012 .
- ↑ George Michael to leave most of £ 105 million fortune to big sister. The Telegraph , December 30, 2016, accessed January 3, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Christoph Dallach, Anke Dürr: My subconscious wanted the scandal . In: Der Spiegel . No. 15 , 2004, pp. 164 ( online ).
- ↑ a b Did Princess Diana try to have an affair with George Michael? In: Daily Mail . January 25, 2008.
- ↑ George Michael: Hash for Grief. ( Memento from December 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). In: Hamburger Morgenpost . November 12, 1997.
- ↑ Woke up in my own vomit. Crack, marijuana, cocaine: George Michael is really that bad. At: focus.de . July 12, 2015.
- ↑ Triumph after the toilet. In: Berliner Zeitung . December 31, 1998.
- ↑ a b George Michael - Ten Million Dollar Lawsuit Expected. At: Stern.de . 4th December 2002.
- ↑ Michael: My arrest was deliberate. At: bbc.co.uk. March 18, 2002.
- ↑ George Michael, Outside. Music video on MyVideo , courtesy of Sony BMG.
- ↑ I was so naive! In: Spiegel Online . January 13, 2006. Interview with George Michael.
- ↑ Sebastian Frenzel: Careful whisper. In: taz.de . January 5, 2006.
- ↑ George Bust 'Bad Karma' Says US Cop. In: Sunday Star . March 5, 2006.
- ^ George Michael arrested over driving incident. At: news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- ↑ George Michael has to go to jail. At: Spiegel.de . September 14, 2010.
- ↑ George Michael released from prison. In: Zeit.de . October 11, 2010.
- ↑ Superstar George Michael dead at 53.
- ↑ George Michael dies at the age of 53. In: Süddeutsche.de . December 26, 2016, accessed December 26, 2016 .
- ↑ George Michael is said to have died of heart failure. tz , December 26, 2016, accessed December 26, 2016 .
- ↑ Autopsy: George Michael's Cause of Death 'Inconclusive'. At: RollingStone.com . December 30, 2016.
- ↑ Investigation completed. George Michael died of heart disease and fatty liver. At: FAZ.net. March 7, 2017.
- ↑ Klaus Nerger: The grave of George Michael. In: knerger.de. Retrieved July 14, 2018 .
- ↑ RTL Television George Michael's sister Melanie Panayiotou dies on the third anniversary of the singer's death on December 30, 2019, accessed on May 16, 2020.
- ^ Terri Judd: George Michael paid 1.5m by oligarch for one-hour show. The Independent , January 3, 2007, accessed June 30, 2015 .
- ↑ Parmy Olson: George Michael croons For Moscow Billionaire. Forbes , January 14, 2007, accessed June 30, 2015 .
- ↑ George Michael has to cancel the rest of the tour. In: The Standard . Retrieved November 25, 2011.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Michael, George |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Panagiotou, Georgios Kyriakos (real name); Παναγιώτου, Γεώργιος Κυριάκος (Greek) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British singer and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 25, 1963 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Finchley , Middlesex , England, UK |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 25, 2016 |
| Place of death | Goring-on-Thames , Oxfordshire , England, UK |