http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38432862
The Wham! singer was only 53. Much too young to die. 
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Super talent.
Tortured soul.
He just had his "Last Christmas". I always thought I hated George Michael and Wham until a friend started playing George's greatest hits. Couldn't believe how many of his songs I grew up enjoying.
A lot of the Wham stuff was kind of disposable pop nonsense. He did some decent stuff on his own. People that write their own stuff get credit. Regardless of what he was doing their was no denying the guys pipes though. He could sing.
No more disposable than stuff from other decades. There's just this cultural thing against the 80s for whatever reason. He's certainly better than stuff like Bruce Springsteen, for example.
Wham was nonsense. Even George Michael couldn't get away from it fast enough. When I talk about the guys ability. I mean stuff like this.
and this.
His career and Whitney Houstons are similar. You didn't like everything they did. They were both supremely talented. They were both tortured souls. But you couldn't ever deny the ability to sing.
When I think of Wham!, I think of the sort of song Paul McCartney wrote. It may be relatively devoid of meaning, but it's a hell of a lot more fun to sing along with than the dirges John Lennon was doing. McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" is so much better than Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" that has me reaching for the dial every time it comes on the radio, but the critics all think Lennon is brilliant while McCartney is mindless garbage.
I don't think using two of the worst Christmas songs of the 20th century is a good way to make a point, but whatever.
When I think Wham I think one hit wonder and money grab and something no one was going take seriously long term. So George bailed and tried to reinvent himself. Again. I dont have to like all of it. But he rolled the dice walking away from a lot of easy money by milking the Wham stuff for a few years . That's pretty admirable.
