George Michael
A soulful voice and meticulous songcraft defined this pop superstar, who shaped 80s and 90s music while navigating intense public scrutiny.
1963–2016 (age 53)·English singer-songwriter·Birthday: June 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in North London, George Michael transformed from a teen pop pin-up into a serious musical architect. With Wham!, he crafted effervescent hits like 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,' but his solo debut 'Faith' revealed a sharper, funk-inflected ambition, selling over 25 million copies. He was a perfectionist in the studio, playing most instruments on his records and writing deeply personal lyrics. His career weathered a very public legal battle with his record label and an arrest in 1998, events he addressed with wry defiance in his music. Michael's later work, including the older, wiser songs on 'Older,' showcased a vulnerable baritone and cemented his status as a writer of enduring emotional heft.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
George was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2016Died at 53
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- His debut solo album 'Faith' (1987) won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
- Co-wrote and performed 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' as part of Band Aid in 1984.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Wham! in 2023.
Did You Know?
He donated all royalties from his 1991 duet with Elton John, 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me,' to charity.
He anonymously performed as a session singer under the name 'Yog' in the early 90s.
His song 'Careless Whisper' was co-written with Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley when Michael was just 17.
“You'll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart.”
