George Michael, Pop Superstar Dies at the Age of 53

Pop Superstar George Michael dies at the age of 53 peacefully in his home in Oxfordshire over the Christmas period. 

Michael's Wham! bandmate tweeted quite emotionally saying he was heartbroken by the loss of his friend who will be forever loved by everyone. Michael passed away quite peacefully at home according to close sources. His manager Michael Lippman revealed that the singer had died due to a heart failure in bed.

The Superstar was set to release a documentary early in 2017, rose to fame as half of Wham! known for their hits Club Tropicana and Last Christmas. He had a highly commendable and successful career which included the songs Careless Whisper, Faith, Outside and Freedom! 90. 

Michael was borned Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou had 11 UK number ones and sold more than 100 million albums throughout a career spanning almost four decades. His last album was Symphonica which was released back in 2014.

Michael's death prompted an outpour of emotions from musicians, celebrities and politicians posting their memories of Michael on their respective social media.

The Popstar was borned in a Greek Cypriot family and first achieved Pop success with school friend Ridgeley in the pop duo Wham! They split up in 1986 but Michael went on to have a fabulous solo career that also saw him collaborate with John, Aretha Franklin and Queen, after the death of Freddie Mercury. 

He had frequent brushes with the law too, including his famous arrest in Los Angeles public toilet back in 1998, an incident that led him to accept homosexuality and his relationship with Kenny Goss. Michael nearly died of Pneumonia in 2011, after receiving treatment in Vienna he made an emotional and tearful appearance outside his London house and said it had been touch and go as to whether he'd continue living. 

His 1990 album Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1 had set to be reissued, it'll be accompanied by a new film featuring Stevie Wonder, John and the supermodels who starred in the video to his hit single Freedom! 90. The record was Michael's second solo album, after hugely successful Faith, that was arrangedm produced and entirely written by him only to not feature him on the album cover.

It featured hits including Cowboys and Angels, Mother's Pride and Praying for Time and outsold Faith in the UK, it led to a court case with US record label Sony spurred by Michael's frustration at how the album was marketed. Michael eventually lost the case.