George Michael: A Life

Product Information

Yet, even through his struggles and periods of grief for the loss of two of the most important people in his life, Michael was still able to find happiness in life. Gavin described him as a man with a “great sense of humor” who also took “enormous joy in giving to people.”

George was a control freak about the recording process in the studio, as well as making music videos. He often took over both mediums until it met his liking. He grew disgusted with the publicity hounds and decided to not even appear in his own music videos, preferring to hire and orchestrate famous models to lip synch his songs. He was addicted to various drugs and got into repeated car accidents where he would nod off at the wheel. Often times he would get off with a slap on the wrist because of who he was, but there came a time when the law could no longer look away without repercussions. On “Somebody to Love,” Michael revealed himself the heir apparent to Mercury’s combination of power and vulnerability, turning a stadium full of people into a choir the same way Mercury did at Live Aid in 1985. Elton John says George Michael died because he was uncomfortable being gay: 'He did not want to be here' George Michael (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The author talks about his mysterious death and it seems to be believed that he committed suicide on his late mother's birthday. His shady ass boyfriend later declared that George had been HIV+ and also admitted that he took PHOTOS of George's dead body before calling 999, over an hour after he found him. WTF. Naughty Boy 'won't rule out' releasing his George Michael collaboration". BBC Newsbeat. 19 January 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017 . Retrieved 28 February 2017. On 26 October 2011, Michael cancelled a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London due to a viral infection. On 21 November, Vienna General Hospital admitted Michael after he complained of chest pains while at a hotel two hours before his performance at a venue there for his Symphonica Tour. Michael appeared to be "in good spirits" and responded well to treatment following his admission, but on 25 November hospital officials said that his condition had "worsened overnight". This development led to cancellations and postponements of Michael's remaining 2011 performances, which had been scheduled mainly for the United Kingdom. [208] The singer was later confirmed to have suffered from pneumonia and, until 1 December, was in an intensive care unit; at one point, he was comatose. On 21 December, the hospital discharged him. Michael told the press that he had undergone a tracheotomy, [209] that the staff at the hospital had saved his life, and that he would perform a free concert for them. [210] After waking from the coma, Michael had a temporary West Country accent, and there was concern he had developed foreign accent syndrome. [211] In George Michael: A Life, “Gavin’s engrossing biography of the singer takes the measure of a gifted, tragic, and infuriating man” ( New York Times Book Review). The very thing Michael despised in life, the incessant scrutiny of the press and their relentless judgement of him, ends up superseding all else in Gavin’s biography. Of course, addiction was a part of Michael’s life and it’s a tragedy that bears recounting, but not at the expense of the very thing that endeared him to millions – his transcendent talent and his refusal to compromise his artistic vision.

Gavin's book also details these struggles, tracing the star's transformation from the shy and awkward Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou into the superstar he became. It also delves into Michael's self-destructive nature.This biography is not good. It’s essentially an excessively long tabloid article. It’s like the author read The Sun, The Daily Mail, & some gossip forums and decided to write a book. He seems far more interested in gossip and negative stories than anything else. Not to mention there are a bunch of mistakes that you wouldn’t expect to see from a supposedly well researched biography. For example, in the prologue alone, the author gets the years wrong for George’s Symphonica tour & the year in which he had pneumonia. a b "George Michael's sister Melanie Panayiotou is found dead on Christmas Day aged 59". BBC News. 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021 . Retrieved 14 October 2021. Australian Tour Announcement". GeorgeMichael.com. 24 November 2009. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009 . Retrieved 24 November 2009.

Michael, George; Goodall, Nigel (1999). George Michael: In His Own Words. Omnibus Press. p.7. ISBN 978-0-7119-7891-1. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023 . Retrieved 12 March 2016.In 1986, Michael took part in the Prince's Trust charity concert held at Wembley Arena, performing " Everytime You Go Away" alongside Paul Young. [228] In 1988, Michael participated in the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley Stadium in London together with many other singers (such as Annie Lennox and Sting), performing "Sexual Healing". [229] However, he had been working on a project before he died - the documentary Freedom, which was re-released in cinemas in June and featured elements of his discussion with Young. Directed by Michael himself alongside his long-time friend David Austin, as well as shining a light on his music it is also a deeply personal and moving account of the star's struggles with his sexuality, fame and industry bosses, as well as his grief following the deaths of his first love, Anselmo Feleppa, who had AIDS, and his mother from cancer. However, it does not really touch on the more turbulent period of his final years. In 2006, Michael performed a free concert for NHS nurses in London to thank the nurses who had cared for his late mother. He told the audience: "Thank you for everything you do — some people appreciate it. Now if we can only get the government to do the same thing." [222]