歌星喬治·邁克爾去世 享年53歲

George Michael, the English singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame as a member of the group Wham!, has died. He was 53.

"It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period," his publicist said in a statement.

Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, he once played music on the London underground train system before forming Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981.

Michael enjoyed immense popularity early in his career as a teenybopper idol, delivering a series of hits such as "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,'' `"Young Guns (Go For It)'' and `"Freedom.''

No cause of death was revealed, but police reported that he did not die under suspicious circumstances.

Michael disclosed he was gay in 1998 after being arrested in a public toilet in Beverly Hills, California for engaging in a lewd act.英國創作歌手、音樂製作人，威猛樂隊主唱喬治·邁克爾去世，享年53歲。

他的公關在一份聲明中說，我們帶着極度悲傷證實，我們深愛的兒子，兄弟和朋友喬治·邁克爾聖誕節期間在家中平靜地去世了。

喬治∙邁克爾本名喬治奧斯·吉里亞科斯·帕納約託，出名前曾在倫敦地鐵裏演唱，後於1981年和安德魯·瑞吉里組成威猛樂隊。

喬治·邁克爾經是一代偶像，創作過［離去之前叫醒我］、［自由］等膾炙人口的歌曲。

目前他的死因還沒有宣佈，不過警方表示，並未發現可疑之處。

1998年喬治·邁克爾在加州比佛利山一個公共廁所由於下流行爲被捕後公開他是同性戀。