George Michael has died at the age of 53. The former Wham singer who achieved even greater fame as a solo artist “passed away peacefully at home,” according to a statement issued by his publicist (via BBC News).

A native of East Finchley, London, Michael first found success after forming the band Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley. Their 1983 debut, Fantastic, reached No. 1 in the UK and produced a series of top 10 singles including “Young Guns”, “Wham Rap!” and “Club Tropicana”. Their follow-up album, 1984’s Make It Big, received even greater fanfare. It reached No. 1 in 11 different countries, including in the UK and US, and four of the album’s songs made their way to the top of the singles charts. Among them: “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “Careless Whisper”, and “Freedom”. In 1985, Wham became the first band from the Western Hemisphere to tour China.
Below are many more amazing songs to remember but the list goes on and on. Truly an amazing vocalist.



In 1987, Michael launched a solo career with the release of Faith. The album spent 51 non-consecutive weeks in Top top 10 of Billboard 200, including 12 weeks at No. 1. Four of its singles — “Faith”, “Father Figure”, “One More Try”, and “Monkey” — reached No. 1 on the US singles chart. Faith was later awarded the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1989.