Dark truths behind Wham! - both before and after George Michael's tragic death
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Last Christmas by Wham! might have been released 40 years ago but every year, the iconic Christmas jingle comes out of the woodwork to entertain the masses. The timeless music video has once again beamed itself back in the limelight despite several dark twists and turns of fate of its cast members, most notably George Michael. Polling as the UK's Christmas favourite for the second year in a row, the lives of Andrew Ridgeley and backing singers, Shirlie Kemp and Helen 'Pepsi' DeMacque, have changed drastically since the 1984 release. The most obvious twist of fate was the death of lead singer George in 2016, aged 53. The songwriter was found alone in his bed on Christmas day, breaking hearts of fans everywhere, but especially those of the close-knit band.
George Michael. Band member Andrew says there is still "an incompleteness" without George, on the BBC Two's documentary 'Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped'. "To lose such a dear friend, when you have a particular bond, it was a truly desperate moment," he went on, describing George as his "other half.".
The Wham! duo bonded over being sons of immigrants in North London (George's father was Greek Cypriot and Andrew’s was Egyptian). In a later interview, Andrew says George's lack of confidence in his looks "came from a childhood perspective" that was "hard to shift.".
George had troubles with his sexuality. He shared: "My depression at the end of Wham! was because I was beginning to realise I was gay, not bisexual." The documentary shares how George had come out to Wham! after filming 'Club Tropicana' in Ibiza. With a failed-to-follow-through civil partnership with ex Kenny Goss, George appeared to have been unlucky in love.
