Wham! were an English musical duo formed by members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band. Wham! sold more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986.
In 2007, Michael said he had hidden the fact he was gay because of worries over what effect it might have on his mother. In 2009 Michael said: "My depression at the end of Wham! was because I was beginning to realise I was gay, not bisexual."
In the early hours of Christmas morning, in 2016, Michael died at his home at 53. He was found dead, lying in bed, by his partner Fadi Fawaz.
Ridgeley lives near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, in a restored 15th-century farm property with his partner Keren Woodward, a member of the group Bananarama.
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*Note that videos may not play on e-mail posts or mobile versions of the Gay Almanac. To visit the Web site, go to http://thegayalamac.com.
