Michael white guardian biography of george michael

George Michael spent the first ten years of his career turning himself into a pop icon.

Grammy Award-winning singer George Michael was one of the leading pop stars of the 1980s and 1990s.

He then spent the next decade apparently trying to undo his superstar status in order to be true to himself. "Everybody wants to be a star," says George. "I certainly did. And I worked hard to get it, but I was miserable, and I don't want to feel that way again."

George Michael's early life

The son of Greek Cypriot immigrants, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou was born June 25, 1963, in Finchley, North London.

In 1979, a 16-year-old George hooked up with schoolmate Andrew Ridgely to form ska outfit The Executives but, inspired by the British dance scene, it wasn't long before the pair recorded a club-oriented demo as Wham!

Michael was co-director of Channel 4 film about his life – yet he remains off-screen and speaks only in archive interviews in this mysterious documentary.

Michael was co-director of Channel 4 film about his life – yet he remains off-screen and speaks only in archive interviews in this mysterious documentary.

In a 2009 interview with the Guardian, Michael suggested that he felt happier now that he no longer had to pretend to be flawless.

George Michael, who has died aged 53 of heart failure, was Britain's biggest pop star of the 1980s, first with the pop duo Wham!

Singer and songwriter, who has died at the age of 53, experienced huge fame with Wham!

George Michael was a British singer and songwriter who rose from teen idol status with the Brit-pop band Wham!

Wham!

The tape, which included soon-to-be hits such as 'Wham! Rap' and 'Careless Whisper', led to a record deal in 1982. The duo's first LP, Fantastic put the image-savvy young guns o