Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, popularly known as George Michael, was an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. One of the leading pop stars of the 1980s and 1990s, he won a Grammy for best album of the year in 1987. Rising to fame as one of the music duo Wham!, which he formed when he was a teenager, he achieved his first worldwide hit in 1984. Since then, he had scored a number of hit singles and albums. He also achieved success as a solo artist with his debut solo album ‘Faith’. He was one of the best-selling music artists of his era, registering sales of more than 80 million records worldwide as a solo artist. Growing up in and around London, he developed a passion for music at an early age. While in high school, he and his friend Andrew Ridgeley bonded over their love for pop music. Both dropped out of school and started a band which was short-lived. But soon they landed a recording deal and named themselves Wham! After several successes with Wham!, he broke away from the group to pursue a solo career. As a solo artist, he bagged his first Grammy Award for a duet with Aretha Franklin. On the personal front, he had had a few encounters with the law. A great philanthropist, he had contributed considerable time and money to various charities. He died of heart and liver diseases in 2016, at the age of 53.