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.

英国创作歌手、音乐制作人，威猛乐队主唱乔治·迈克尔去世，享年53岁。

他的公关在一份声明中说，我们带着极度悲伤证实，我们深爱的儿子，兄弟和朋友乔治·迈克尔圣诞节期间在家中平静地去世了。

乔治∙迈克尔本名乔治奥斯·吉里亚科斯·帕纳约托，出名前曾在伦敦地铁里演唱，后于1981年和安德鲁·瑞吉里组成威猛乐队。

乔治·迈克尔经是一代偶像，创作过［离去之前叫醒我］、［自由］等脍炙人口的歌曲。

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