Sophia Michaels
Pop icon George Michael died on Christmas Day in 2016. The sudden loss (Michael died of heart failure) shocked the music community, as well as his dedicated legion of fans. Michael had been writing and singing hits since the ’80s, when he formed Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley. He eventually became successful as a solo artist, selling more than 100 million records worldwide and earning the coveted album of the year Grammy for his hit 1987 record, “Faith.”
Nearly seven years after his death, Netflix is reliving the arc of Michael and Ridgeley’s Wham! career in a new documentary fittingly titled “WHAM!” “For the very first time, told in their own words, the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs,” Netflix’s official synopsis reads. “‘WHAM!’ is a feature length documentary that captures this magical time, from director Chris Smith and producers John Battsek and Simon Halfon. With unprecedented access to both George and Andrew’s personal archive including remarkable and never-before-seen footage, alongside rare, candid and previously unheard interviews, ‘WHAM!’ charts their incredible journey from school friends to superstars.”
“WHAM!” is streaming on Netflix. Let’s continue celebrating Michael’s life with 11 essential songs from his career.
