- George Michael found huge success as part of the 80s’ pop group Wham!
- The British heartthrob came out as gay in 1998 after years of speculation on his sexuality
- The “Careless Whisper” singer/songwriter died on Christmas Day 2016
In the upcoming Netflix documentary focusing on the 80s’ pop sensation Wham!, a spotlight shines brightly on George Michael’s remarkable life. The film, titled Wham!, traces the journey of George and his fellow co-founder, Andrew Ridgeley, from being schoolmates to becoming internationally acclaimed pop stars when they formed the iconic band in 1981. Through this intimate exploration, including previously unseen footage, viewers get a closer look at the dynamic duo behind unforgettable chart-toppers like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Careless Whisper.” The official trailer was posted on both George’s Instagram and Andrew’s Instagram, as well.
While the film focuses on the early days of George’s pop star success, he would go on to have a massive solo career, beginning with the release of 1987’s Faith album. Almost a decade later, the “I Want Your Sex” singer came out as gay, ending years-long speculation about his sexuality. “I spent the first half of my career being accused of being gay when I hadn’t had anything like a gay relationship. In fact, I was 27 before that happened to me,” he told CNN in 1998, a few days after he was arrested at a Beverly Hills park for “By the time I’d kind of worked out what it was and I’d stopped having relationships with women, I was just so indignant about the way I had been treated until then, I just thought, well, I’ll just hold on to this. They [the media] don’t need to know But, you know, this is as good a time as any.” he added.
George, who had been previously linked with makeup artist Kathy Jeung and actress Brooke Shields, insisted that he was never dishonest with his sexuality. “I do want people to know that the songs that I wrote when I was with women were really about women, and the songs I have written since have been fairly obviously about men,” he added to CNN.
Following his coming out, George freely and proudly dated a handful of handsome men before his tragic death in 2016. Let’s meet the guys lucky enough to have known George, below.
Anselmo Feleppa
George would go on to call Anselmo Feleppa the “first person” he “ever loved.” Their brief love affair began in 1990 when Anselmo, a Brazilian dress designer, came to one of George’s concerts. The singer spotted “a really cute guy” in the crowd, and said “he was so distracting I actually avoided that end of the stage,” per his 2009 Huffington Post interview. Once Anselmo made it backstage, he changed George’s life. “It’s very hard to be proud of your sexuality when it hasn’t given you any joy,” George explained. “But once you have found somebody you really love… it’s not so tough.” He added that Anselmo “broke down my Victorian restraint, and really showed me how to live, how to relax, how to enjoy life.”
Sadly, six months into their romance, Anselmo discovered he was HIV positive. “Try to imagine that you fought with your own sexuality to the point that you’ve lost half of your twenties, and you’ve finally found a real love, and six months in it’s devastated,” George recalled to Huffington Post. “In 1991 it was really terrifying news.”
After Anselmo’s died, the star said he entered a state of depression, which he described as “a deep black hole.” He added, “He was the first person I had ever loved, and I discovered he loved me too.”
Kenny Goss
Michael’s next major relationship was with his partner Kenny Goss, and they were together for a whopping 13 years. In 2006, George dropped the bombshell news that he and Kenny were planning to tie the knot in a cozy ceremony. “I guess we’ll go through the official legal stuff and then throw an epic bash,” he spilled on a British talk show called Parkinson, per People.“But don’t expect us to don wedding gowns! Let’s be real, neither of us has the killer bod for that!” On a more serious note, he added, “I think from a legal point of view it’s essential to have the same safeguards that straight couples have. We’ve been together for 10 years. I think we’re entitled to that.”
But alas, their plans for holy matrimony never materialized. Fast forward to 2011 when George let it slip during a concert that he and Kenny had called it quits over two years prior. “The truth is my love life has been a lot more turbulent than I have let on,” he said during a performance at the Prague State Opera, per People.
At the time of George’s death on Christmas Day 2016, Kenny told The Dallas Morning News, “We just had a really good, sweet relationship. We weren’t even mad at each other or anything like that. He was truly the love of my life. And I think I was the love of his life.”
Fadi Fawaz
Around 2012, George and his boyfriend at the time, Lebanese/Australian designer Fadi Fawaz, were posting snaps of themselves to their social media accounts. The couple appeared to be enjoying tropical vacations left and right.
Sadly, Fadi, who met George in 2009 after the singer’s split from his long-term partner Kenny, found George lifeless in bed on Christmas morning in 2016. At the time, Fadi tweeted, “Its a xmas i will never forget finding your partner dead peacefully in bed first thing in the morning.. I will never stop missing you xx.”
Three days later, Fadi did an interview with The Daily Telegraph and detailed more about the harrowing experience. “We were supposed to be going for Christmas lunch. I went around there to wake him up and he was just gone, lying peacefully in bed,” the hairstylist explained. “Now everything is ruined. I want people to remember him the way he was, he was a beautiful person.”