elisa_rolle (elisa_rolle) wrote,
elisa_rolle
elisa_rolle

George Michael (June 25, 1963 – December 25, 2016)

George Michael was an English musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Michael rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley. His first solo single, "Careless Whisper", was released when he was still in the duo and sold about six million copies worldwide. Michael's current partner is celebrity hairstylist Fadi Fawaz. In a 2007 interview, Michael said that he had hidden the fact he was gay because of worries over what effect it might have on his mother. At the age of 19, Michael told Andrew Ridgeley and close friends that he was bisexual. Michael also told one of his two sisters, but he was advised by friends not to tell his parents about his sexuality. Speaking about his time with Wham! in the 1980s, Michael said: "I used to sleep with women quite a lot in the Wham! days but never felt it could develop into a relationship because I knew that, emotionally, I was a gay man. I didn't want to commit to them but I was attracted to them. Then I became ashamed that I might be using them." In 2009, Michael said: "My depression at the end of Wham! was because I was beginning to realise I was gay, not bisexual." Michael established a relationship with Anselmo Feleppa, a male Brazilian dress-designer, whom he had met at the 1991 concert Rock in Rio. Six months into their relationship, Feleppa discovered that he had HIV. Michael later said: "It was terrifying news. I thought I could have the disease too. I couldn't go through it with my family because I didn't know how to share it with them - they didn't even know I was gay." In 1993, Feleppa died of an AIDS-related brain haemorrhage. Michael's single "Jesus to a Child" is a tribute to Feleppa (he consistently dedicates it to him before performing it live), as is his 1996 album Older. In 2008, speaking about the loss of his partner Feleppa, Michael said: "It was a terribly depressing time. It took about three years to grieve, then after that I lost my mother. I felt almost like I was cursed." 

Timeline & Places:

• June 25, 1963: born.

• 2000s to 2016: lived at 5 The Grove, Highgate, London N6 6JU, Regno Unito

• 2000s to 2016: lived at Mill Cottage, Off Manor Road, Goring, Reading RG8 9DS, Regno Unito

• December 25, 2016: died. Buried at Highgate Cemetery, Swain's Ln, Highgate, London N6 6PJ, Regno Unito

References:

Queer Places, Vol. 2.1: Retracing the Steps of LGBTQ people around the World
 ISBN-13: 978-1532906312 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1532906315
CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/6228833
Amazon print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1532906315/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1KZBO/?tag=elimyrevandra-20



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Tags: queer places
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