Andrew Ridgeley: Celebs Rumors

George Michael's ex Kenny Goss has said the singer was a "tortured soul" but is "happy now". The 'Careless Whisper' star died in 2016 at the age of 53 and his life is being examined in a new documentary called 'George Michael: Portrait of an Artist' and Kenny - who dated George for 15 years - has spoken out about the star in a new interview to promote the film - insisting he believes his ex is finally at peace. He told People.

Roman Kemp will take on one of the highest-profile jobs in his broadcasting career when he hosts the BRIT Awards 2024 with Maya Jama and Clara Amfo. The presenter has called it a "real pinch me moment".

Wham! legend George Michael.The coin is the latest addition to the Royal Mint’s Music Legends series, which commemorates iconic British performers by creating a coin in their honour.In the collectable, Michael is depicted wearing his signature sunglasses, looking down, while an engraving of the refrain from his 1987 solo track ‘Faith’ is also shown. Splashes of black and red are featured on the otherwise silver design, as they were colours used prominently throughout his career.Sandra Deiana, the coin’s designer, explained that she wanted to capture “a detailed portrait” of the musician “that captured his charismatic expression” (per BBC).

Shane MacGowan’s widow Victoria Mary Clarke has reacted to the news that The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ was beaten to Christmas Number One by Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’. Writing on X, she posted a link to the George Michael/Andrew Ridgeley track and said: “I love Wham!!! We loved George.” Wham! claimed the top spot on Friday (December 22), finally landing the coveted Christmas Number One for the first time after 39 years. I love ❤️ Wham!!! We loved George ❤️ Wham! – Last Christmas (Official Video) https://t.co/k1nrzqC8X3 via @YouTube— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) December 24, 2023It made history as having the longest-ever journey to the UK Christmas Number One, after being held off the top on its original release in 1984 by Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’.

Last Christmas by Wham! has made pop history, topping the Christmas chart for the first time since it was released almost four decades ago.

Wham! have earned the Christmas Number One with their iconic holiday hit ‘Last Christmas’ after attempting to land the spot for 39 years.The track was penned and produced by the late George Michael with the aim of landing the Christmas Number One in 1984. However, ‘Last Christmas’ was kept off the top spot upon release by Band-Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, a track that would go on to become the second best-selling single of all time.Today, almost four decades later, ‘Last Christmas’ has earned the festive top spot.

Wham! have secured the Christmas 2023 number one single with Last Christmas, having missed out on the title for 39 years. The pop duo, comprised of the late George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, landed the top UK chart spots for their first and second albums and also found success with a number of hits – including Last Christmas in December 1984.

Wham!‘s ‘Last Christmas’ at a recent match, potentially ruining the game ‘Whamaggedon’ for thousands.In the cult game ‘Whamaggedon’, players try and avoid the Wham! classic until Christmas Eve, and are knocked out of the game when they hear it.In Northampton Town’s game against Portsmouth on December 2, DJ Matt Facer made the unfortunate decision to spin the track. “I never knew people took it so seriously,” he said.

Wham! and Mariah Carey have entered the UK charts earlier than ever this year.Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ and ‘Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ entered the chart at number 37 and and 40 in the UK Top 40 this weekend, respectively.Last year, it wasn’t until the third week of November that a Christmas song, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’, appeared on the charts.Both songs will likely now remain in the charts in the lead up to Christmas over the coming weeks. Currently there are no other Christmas songs in the Top 100.Back in 2020, Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ became a UK Number One for the first time ever, 26 years after it was first released.“Happy Christmas UK!! We finally made it!!!,” the singer said at the time.

Miguel, Adam Levine, and Carrie Underwood have paid tribute to George Michael at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023 – watch the footage below.Michael, who died in 2016 aged 53, has been posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year alongside the likes of Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Rage Against the Machine, Willie Nelson, Kate Bush and The Spinners. It was announced Michael had won the fan vote in May, having been voted over a million times.To honour the late performer, a number of musicians took to the stage to cover his songs.

Andrew Ridgeley has opened up about his love life, following his split from socialite Amanda Cronin earlier this year.The musician, 60, found fame in the 1980s as one half of the world-famous band Wham!, which was also fronted by Andrew's friend, the late George Michael. And while George remained rather high profile throughout his career, Andrew preferred to keep his personal life under wraps. He recently gave a rare insight into his romantic life, as he revealed that he's currently in "several relationships" and has no plans to commit to just one.

Within the first few minutes of “Wham!,” a documentary focusing on the meteoric career of the eponymous ’80s pop icons, late frontman George Michael describes the day he came to meet group co-founder Andrew Ridgeley as secondary school students and the instant bond that formed in such a way that Michael would go on to question the path his life might have subsequently taken had the two never crossed paths themselves.

Pepsi went from rehearsing dance routines in George Michael’s mum’s living room to ­performing to screaming fans at Wham’s first ever gigs.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Unabashed pop groups with fervid teenage followings tend to get trivialized, at least in the media. They’re dismissed as being slick and calculated and superficial. But there’s a story in “Wham!,” the new Netflix documentary about the quintessential pop duo of the 1980s, that testifies to what a chancy and audacious artist George Michael was even back in his teen-idol days. The year is 1983. Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, coming off their first album, “Fantastic” (which had a few hits, though none of them were great), have established Wham! as an effective lightweight pop machine, with its two young stars prancing around the stage in sexy sportswear. The time has come to record “Careless Whisper,” a song they’ve had in their back pocket for several years (we hear the super-early demo version of it that they recorded in 1981 in Ridgeley’s living room on a TEAC 4-track Portastudio). Michael has become enough of a powerhouse to hook up with Jerry Wexler, the legendary producer of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. He heads down to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio to record the track, with Wexler producing. What more could a 20-year-old budding pop star want?

Famous for being part of the world-famous 1980s band Wham!, fronted by the late George Michael, Andrew has rubbed shoulders with titans of the music industry and enjoyed high-profile romances with sought-after women. What is he up to these days? Read on to discover more… Who is Andrew Ridgeley? The 60-year-old musician started life in Windlesham, Surrey, born on January 26, 1963, to parents Alberto and Jennifer.

George Michael came out to the world after he was arrested by an undercover policeman for engaging in a lewd act in a public bathroom.But, long before that scandalous outing occurred at Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, the late ’80s pop heartthrob revealed his sexuality to his Wham! mate Andrew Ridgeley. It was July 1983 — a year before the chart-topping duo first went No. 1 with “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”They had just wrapped filming the video for their post-disco single “Club Tropicana” in Ibiza, Spain.“About six months before … I’d actually had something go on that made my attraction to men fairly clear,” Michael reveals in “Wham! The Documentary,” which premieres on Netflix July 5.

NME about the upcoming Netflix documentary Wham! – as well as the pop icons’ enduring legacy.The new documentary tells the story of the ‘80s pop duo Ridgeley formed with his late best friend George Michael, as well as the singles boxset that will commemorate the 40th anniversary of their debut album ‘Fantastic’.From 1982 to their final gig at Wembley stadium in 1986, Wham! scored five UK Number One singles – ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’, ‘Careless Whisper’, ‘Freedom’, ‘I’m Your Man’ and ‘The Edge of Heaven’, later celebrating a sixth when ‘Last Christmas’ topped the charts in 2020, 36 years after it was first released. They’re all among those featured in the forthcoming ‘Wham! The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven’ collection.

George Michael‘s family have been granted permission to build a memorial in honour of the late pop icon in Oxfordshire.The pop icon’s estate made plans to create a bronze stature in his honour five years ago with the local council in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and now is when the plans have been approved.According to councillors, there was some “resistance” from the 3,200 residents, who include many wealthy retired people. When the application for the memorial was first made, parish councillor Catherine Hall said: “I’m reluctant to even agree in principle because we risk stirring up a hornets’ nest.”A post shared by George Michael (@georgemofficial)As reported by The Sun, sculptor Laura Lian had met with Michael’s best friend Andros Georgiou at the memorial site to discuss the project this past weekend (July 1).A source told The Sun: “Everyone is thrilled to finally have the go ahead.

A fresh batch of entertainment is dropping on Netflix, as 90 titles join the streaming service this month. From steamy reality shows and fascinating adventure documentaries to cult classic films, subscribers are spoilt for choice.

Netflix has unveiled a new trailer for ‘Wham!‘, an upcoming feature-length documentary about the ’80s pop duo of the same name.The documentary, which is slated for release on Netflix globally on July 5, takes a look at the history of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley and their time in Wham!, from the time they had first met as teens, to their pinnacle of stardom and behind-the-scenes look at the group’s ups and downs during the height of their fame, while also paying tribute to the life and career of Michael.‘Wham!’ features archival footage from the duo’s history and never-before-seen interviews with George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley and more. Watch the trailer for Netflix’s ‘Wham!’ documentary above.Wham! celebrated a short but successful career, running from 1981 until their disbandment in 1986.

This Morning viewers rushed to social media to comment as they believed Alison Hammond had made a blunder when revealing what was coming up on the latest show.

The stand-in hosts for Tuesday's episode of This Morning have been revealed, after Phillip Schofield's immediate exit and Holly Willoughby deciding to take some time off. On Saturday, Phillip Schofield, 61, confirmed he was stepping down from the show with immediate effect amid reports of a feud with co-host Holly, 42.

The world premiere of ‘Wham!’ about the pop supergroup formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley is among the highlights of the 30th edition of the Sheffield DocFest, set for June 14-19 in north-central England.

George Michael's cousin Andros Georgiou has discussed why the famous singer chose to keep his sexuality a secret for so long. Along with the late star's first manager Simon Napier-Bell, he spoke about the benefits of "holding some things back" from the public. George remains one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with sales of over 125 million records worldwide.

Celebrity Gogglebox is getting a new face as Shirlie Kemp joins her husband Martin and son Roman on the sofa. Producers earlier announced she would be joining the hit Channel 4 programme to give her opinions on the week's best TV for the first time tonight (Friday, June 17). But while she has been married to her famous husband - who rose to fame in new wave band Spandau Ballet before becoming an actor in numerous films and EastEnders - for 34 years, Shirlie has an impressive musical career behind her too.

Wham! documentary is reportedly in the works at Netflix.Andrew Ridgeley, who sang alongside the late George Michael in the ’80s pop group, is working with the streaming giant to help develop the project.The documentary will provide fans with a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at the group’s ups and downs during the height of their fame, while also paying tribute to the life and career of Michael.According to Metro: “It is a really exciting project, and they are putting a lot of resources into it. Andrew is also very keen for the opportunity to look back over his years with George in the band – though it will, of course, be bittersweet for him.”A release date for the new film is yet to be announced, with the project still reportedly in the early stages of development.News of the new Wham! film comes shortly before the June 22 release of George Michael: Freedom Uncut, which is an extended version of the 2017 documentary about the late singer’s career.

Madonna of ripping off her 1985 hit Into The Groove’ after she called him out for the ‘illegal’ interpolation of her track on Pluto’s Last Comet from his LP Alone at Prom. And now, the estate of the late pop legend – who died on Christmas Day in 2016 – is taking action to remove Lanez’s song Enchanted Waterfall – which also features on Alone at Prom – from streaming platforms after they ‘declined permission’ for him to use the sample last summer. Careless Whisper was co-written with Michael’s Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley and released in 1984.

Representatives for the George Michael estate have confirmed that they have taken action against the Tory Lanez track ‘Enchanted Waterfall’ which, they say, includes an uncleared sample from ‘Careless Whisper’, which Michael co-wrote with Andrew Ridgeley.

The George Michael estate has accused Tory Lanez of sampling "Careless Whisper" without permission on his song "Enchanted Waterfall," Variety reports. "Enchanted Waterfall" appears on Lanez's 80s-inspired album Alone at Prom, which was released in December 2021.

George Michael has ordered Tory Lanez to cease distribution of his track ‘Enchanted Waterfall’, which they say features an uncleared ‘Careless Whisper’ sample.According to a report from Variety, the late Wham! singer’s estate declined a request from Lanez for permission to use the track in mid-2021.They wrote in a statement: “It was brought to our attention that the song ‘Enchanted Waterfall’: by the artist Tory Lanez incorporated an unauthorised sample of ‘Careless Whisper’ written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley… requested permission for this use had been declined in June 2021 so we took immediate action on behalf of the writers, in collaboration with our publishers Warner Chappell Music, to prevent further exploitation as we will not tolerate any unauthorized use of any songs within the catalogues of George Michael and/or Andrew Ridgeley.As Stereogum point out, ‘Enchanted Waterfall’ has since been removed from Spotify but remains available on YouTube and Apple Music at the time of writing.Last year, Madonna also accused Tory Lanez of “illegal usage” of her 1985 single ‘Into The Groove’, which was sampled on his new track ‘Pluto’s Last Comet’.The song appears on Lanez’s recent sixth album, ‘Alone At Prom’, which is heavily inspired by the pop greats of the ‘80s.It would appear that Lanez sampled the lead synth melody behind ‘Into The Groove’ – written for the soundtrack of the ’85 comedy-drama Desperately Seeking Susan, which Madonna starred in – but didn’t credit the iconic popstar.In response, Madonna commented on a recent post of Lanez’s on Instagram, writing: “Read your messages tor [sic] illegal usage of my song get into the groove!”in a statement given to Rolling Stone, Madonna added: “I am tired of being

Charlie Amter Late last year, Madonna made headlines when she went after embattled rapper Tory Lanez for what she felt was unauthorized usage of her 1985 hit “Into the Groove” in his song “Pluto’s Last Comet.”“Read your messages tor [sic] illegal usage of my song Get into The Groove!” she wrote on Instagram, later adding in a comment to Rolling Stone, “I am tired of being taken advantage of and I mean business.”Now, another iconic name from the 1980s is speaking out against Lanez: the George Michael estate, who have taken action to get a different song (“Enchanted Waterfall”) from Lanez’s ‘80s-inspired fall 2021 album, “Alone at Prom,” yanked from Spotify. They claim it lifts from Michael’s 1985 hit “Careless Whisper,” which the singer wrote with Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley.

Martin Compston and Vicky McClure have celebrated their joint birthday by dressing up as Wham. Martin wished his pal Vicky a ‘Wham birthday’ as he dressed up as George Michael while she rocked a double denim as Andrew Ridgeley look.

George Michael’s family have expressed delight at the news of Wham! classic “Last Christmas” reaching No 1 in the charts. The 1984 hit, by Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, has topped the UK singles chart for the first time, more than three decades after it was first released.

GEORGE Michael scored a first number one in 24 years after Wham's Last Christmas reached the top of the charts. The track, which was released by George and bandmate Andrew Ridgeley 36 years ago, now holds the record for the longest time a single has taken to reach number, replacing Tony Christie’s (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, which took 33 years and 4 months.

direct to your inboxLast Christmas by Wham! has finally topped the UK chart 36 years after it was released.The festive classic is number one on New Year's Day after being streamed 9.2 million times over the past week - knocking the Christmas number one, LadBaby's Don't Stop Me Eating, off the top spot.First released in December 1984, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley's much-loved song about unrequited love was held off the top spot by Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas on which George featured.It has since returned to the top 10 six times, and fans had previously launched a campaign to get it to number one to mark the first anniversary of George's tragic death on Christmas Day 2016.The song reached number seven that year and a year

Wham’s Last Christmas finally claims Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart 36 years after its release and breaks a new Official Chart record in the process, the Official Charts Company can confirm.