GEORGE MICHAEL PASSES PEACEFULLY ON CHRISTMAS DAY|喬治麥可耶誕節53歲猝逝 全球歌迷震驚

In other news, a sad Christmas it was for the entertainment world. George Michael, the lead singer of the 80's UK duo Wham! died at the age of 54 on December 25th. His death, which is caused by suspected heart failure, took place at his Oxfordshire home in England and came as a shock to many of his fans. In 1986, Wham released their famous Christmas single, 'Last Christmas', which became a Christmas staple. Thirty years later on Christmas Day the lead singer, George Michael, died at home. His agent said that George Michael had passed away peacefully at home in Goring, Oxfordshire. Local police asked fans to respect the family's privacy. No further explanation was officially given of the cause of death. His friend and other member of the Wham duo, Andrew Ridgeley said that he had lost a beloved friend and was devastated. The two formed the band Wham and released many hits including 1985's Careless Whisper' which beat Madonna's 'Like A Virgin' to win that year's Grammy. Together, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were one of the most successful bands of the 80's. In 1987, Michael released a solo album 'Faith' which he both wrote and produced. The single from the album, 'I Want Your Sex' was banned by many UK and US radio stations for its racy lyrics, but this did not hinder its sales. It won the second place in the US Grammies and third in the UK. After he became famous, he came out as gay after many rumors and brushed with drugs and drunk driving. In his nearly 40 year career, George Michael sold over a billion albums and won many awards, including three Brit Awards, winning Best British Male twice, four MTV Video Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards. At the beginning of December it was reported that he was working on a new album with producer Naughty Boy and would release a new album in March. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 1986年英國Wham合唱團推出的這首暢銷金曲「去年耶誕」，已經成為耶誕佳節的經典名曲，孰料三十年後，主唱喬治麥可居然在耶誕節當天向人生這個大舞台告別。據公關人員表示喬治麥可是安詳的在牛津郡戈林市家中辭世。當地警方表示為尊重家屬，不會對外解釋、死因也沒有可疑之處。 昔日的老搭檔安德魯瑞吉里得知消息後，表示「失去了摯愛的朋友」讓他感到心痛。兩人合組的青春偶像團體Wham，賣出了將近四千萬張專輯，唱紅不少名曲，1985年的Careless Whisper還擊敗瑪丹娜的"宛如處女"拿下當年告示牌年度最佳單曲，稱得上是八零年代最成功的偶像天團。 1987年喬治麥可單飛推出個人首張專輯Faith，為了向外界證明自己的實力，詞曲與製作全部他自己一手包辦，然而裡頭的首張單曲"I want your sex"，卻因為歌詞太過露骨而遭英美許多電台禁播，但對銷售絲毫沒有影響，照樣登上美國告示牌第二名與英國的第三名。拋開偶像包袱之後，他非異性戀的傾向也逐步的被外界披露，甚至扯出吸毒與駕車肇事等風波。 總計喬治麥可四十年的演藝生涯，唱片總銷售量破一億張，得過三座全英音樂獎與兩座美國葛萊美獎。月初才有消息傳出，喬治麥可正與製作人「頑皮男孩」籌備新的專輯，並計畫明年三月要推出新的紀錄片，如今驟然傳出死訊讓外界相當震驚。 記者 王蕙文 報導