George Michael

**George Michael** (born **Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou**) was an English singer-songwriter. In *Extras*, he portrays a fictionalised version of himself in the Christmas Special episode 'The Extra Special Series Finale'.

Known as a leading creative force in music production, songwriting, vocal performance and visual presentation, Michael is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the MTV generation.

Born in East Finchley, North London, Michael rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham! and later embarked on a solo career. Forming the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981, the band's first two albums, *Fantastic* (1983) and *Make It Big* (1984), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and the US *Billboard* 200. Their hit singles included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Last Christmas". Establishing themselves as a global act, Wham! toured China in April 1985; the tour was the first visit to China by a Western popular music act, and it generated worldwide media coverage.

Michael's first solo single, "Careless Whisper", reached number one in over 20 countries, including the UK and US. Before embarking on the production of his first solo album, Michael went on to release two more number-one singles, "A Different Corner" and the Aretha Franklin duet "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". Michael's debut solo album, *Faith*, was released in 1987, topping the UK Albums Chart and staying at number one on the *Billboard* 200 for 12 weeks. Globally it sold 25 million copies, and four singles from the album—"Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", and "Monkey"—reached number one on the *Billboard* Hot 100. Michael became the best-selling music artist of 1988, and *Faith* was awarded Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy Awards. His second solo album, *Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1* (1990), sold approximately eight million copies and was a UK number-one. It included the *Billboard* Hot 100 number-one "Praying for Time" and the worldwide hit "Freedom! '90". A 1991 live duet with Elton John, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", was also a transatlantic number one. Michael went on to release two more multimillion-selling albums, *Older* (1996) and *Patience* (2004).

Outside of music, Michael was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser. His personal life, drug use, and legal troubles made headlines during the late 1990s and 2000s, as he was arrested for public lewdness in 1998 and was arrested for multiple drug-related offences after that time. Michael came out as gay in 1998. The 2005 documentary *A Different Story* covered his career and personal life. Michael's 25 Live tour spanned three tours from 2006 to 2008. Michael fell into a coma in 2011 during a bout with pneumonia, but later recovered. He performed his final concert at London's Earls Court in 2012. On 25 December 2016, Michael was found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

Michael is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 120 million records worldwide. He achieved seven number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart and eight number-one songs on the US *Billboard* Hot 100. Michael won various music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, 12 *Billboard* Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and six Ivor Novello Awards. In 2015, he was ranked 45th in *Billboard*'s list of the "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time". The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004.

## Personality

George Michael is wandering a park in Hampstead Heath, cruising for sex, when he briefly chats with Bunny and Andy. George smokes a cigar and eats a kebab before heading off into the foliage to hide from the press. As he leaves, Bunny tells Andy that he and George have been together in the past. When a media photographer comes to Andy looking for George, he inquires as to why Andy is sitting on a bench infamous for awaiting homosexuals. Despite George asking Andy to steer the press away from him, Andy eventually gives in and lets the photographer know where he is hiding.

George Michael's relatively brief cameo is a reference to his prior convictions of public lewdness which occured whilst he was cruising for sex in public parks. The manner at which Bunny reacts to his arrival – seeming relatively unfazed – shows that George is a regular to the particular spot.