rap and clu b started with songs like wham rap and club tropicana. 0ne started with songs like whamnd club tropicana. one of his good friends and another extraordinary performer eltonjohn said i am in deep shock, i have loved a beloved —— lost a beloved friend, the kindest most generous soul and a beloved artist. my heart goes out to his family and fans. he is expressing what thousands are expressing what thousands are expressing at the moment. 100 million albums, a starfor more expressing at the moment. 100 million albums, a star for more than 30 years. he had his ups and downs but a real shock today. he wasn't just a pop icon, his music spanned soul, funk, rock, he did it all, didn't he? absolutely, when wham rap, the first song i remember seeing on top of the pops came out a few years ago, it was almost a novelty song and these teenagers you thought would be a flash in the pan but then another song came and another song came and another song came and you had careless whisper, a p0p came and you had careless whisper, a pop standard, and this was being written by... he wasjust pop

i was astonished, wham were the biggest p0p group astonished, wham were the biggest pop group in theand could easily have continued for several more, lucrative years. but he was adamant and explained to me it was about what he wanted to do musically. he was feeling cramped by the type of music that wham fans expected. in that regard, he was quite exceptional. very few artists start out in a boy band and then become a success with an adult audience. you think of the beatles, they did it. eltonjohn did it. very few did it, he did it successfully. he made a real impact on music. so many people wanted to collaborate with him, so many established artists. i remember his excitement when he told me that aretha franklin wanted told me that aretha franklin wanted to work with him. that was something special. some people werejust interested in vain, he was a music junkie, he grew up loving music. the fa ct junkie, he grew up loving music. the fact that aretha franklin, who was clearly before his time, an iconic star, that she would be interested in working with him, that meant something to him

or as me up before you go—go, whether with wham orasa me up before you go—go, whether with wham or aslly on the cutting edge of that whole phenomenon. he also managed to make the transition that a lot of people don't quite make from boy band pinup to actual serious respected artist. that is true. he started out as this kind of teenybopper star with andrew ridgeley and wham and transition very quickly to be this kind of new male sex symbol that we haven't really seen before, a guy with... who goes from being the teenybopper pinup idol to the stubbornly guy wearing the levi jeans end the faith video. it was really a remarkable translation. that faith video was interesting, we saw him bringing in models and he went on to work with a number of other people from different types of music, collaborating with people from r&b, now that's quite a common thing to do but it was quite ahead of its time at the time, wasn't it? absolutely, for him to work with artists of different genres, whether r&b artists or simply walk is true is more recently in 2014 in his collaboration with sinfonia. the othe

he burst onto the scene in the early 1980s when he formed wham with andrew ridgeley.he duo had number one singles around the world. they even conquered china, becoming the first western pop band to perform there. george michael loved fame but never became used to it. to be obviously a part of people's lives as an artist, that's what i dreamed of and that's what i'm still grateful for. but my god, i wish i could cope with the other stuff the way other people do. i wish i'd been born with that particular suit of armour, you know, because i wasn't. # you know not everybody has got a body like you. but i gotta think twice before i give my heart away... as his career waned, he hit the headlines for other reasons. he was stopped for a series of traffic offences leading to a spell in jail. he was cautioned and fined for drug possession and received treatment for addiction. # time can never mend the careless whispers... in 2011, he suffered a life—threatening bout of pneumonia while on tour in austria. police said his death was unexplained but not suspicious. his family said

i remember him as a legend from wham. every christmas you hear, last christmas.ter but him and saying, you know what, and i am not going to sweat but i do care what you think. what was your favourite song? when he did a cover of stink... triple gold, last christmas. back when i was younger, before i knew he was gay, i fancied when i was younger, before i knew he was gay, ifancied him. to me i didn't see that he was gay at that time. he was amazing. he spoke about it quite widely that he suffered with depression. do you think that endeared him to his fans and the public because he put his heart out there? i think so. a lot of people hide themselves away. somebody people against through it and he helped other people. i think when people do not talk about it, that is the problem. you do need talk about it. what did you think when he disappeared, he removed himself from the public eye for six years? being the public eye for six years? being the kind of person that he is, being himself, being true to yourself, it could have driven in bad. —— him at man. “— could have

the time in wham!! , obviously, a thoughtful people. the time in wham!, obviously, a different time in his life and a different public perspective on him compared with what came later. how did he look back on the time in wham!? i think he was grateful that he had searched... i mean, people forget he was only 17 when he wrote careless whisper. the success he had was prodigious at an early age. people forgave him the more fluffy part of his career and people are still incredibly fond of it actually. what he craved was musical credibility. with his peers and with the general public. and i think the general public. and i think the general public not only loved his performing and his songwriting, but they also loved his charisma. and his performing ability. we're going to reaction now from the reverend richard coles who was formerly in the communards. he is now a vicar in northamptonshire. very christmas, reverend coles. thank you for joining us. the communards share the platform of the music scene at that

wham!s, tell us about that. i did, it was a long time ago. it was in the 80s when he and andrew was starting out. i was a reporter in boston and everybody came through boston in those days and they were so energetic and adorable. he was a handsome guy, let's face it, they both were, they lit up the stage and i got a chance to interview them and both of them but george was always the electric guy, there was something and electric about him. i've got to tell you, i feel today like it is like the soundtrack of my life seems to be leaving, you know? he said that he loved being famous but he also struggled with being in the public eye and he wished he could do it like other people. tell us a bit about how he battled with that. it was a big battle for him. when i first met him he was very young and it was before the whole addiction thing took over his life. people have no idea how hard it is to be on the road like these guys are on the road constantly. you had no life of your own and everybody sa

former wham! band mate andrew ridgley said he was "heartbroken at the loss" of his "beloved friend". russia begins a day of mourning for those who died when a military plane crashed into the black sea. the former governor of the bank of england, lord king, says britain should be more self—confident about leaving the eu. also this hour: shoppers head out for the boxing day sales. millions of bargain hunters are expected to hit the high street, although footfall may be down due to pre—christmas discounts. and in half an hour, and in halfan hour, i and in half an hour, i will be looking back at the past 12 months for the royalfamily, looking back at the past 12 months for the royal family, dominated looking back at the past 12 months for the royalfamily, dominated by the celebrations to mark the queen's 90th birthday. that is review 2016, the royal year with me, daniela relph. good morning and welcome to bbc news. one of the biggest stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s, george michael, has died. he was 53, and

george michael's part is in wham said he was heartbroken. -- partner in wham! heartbroken. wham! shot to fame in the 1980's with infectious hits like wake me up before you go-go. international mega-stardom came when george michael went solo in the late 1980's. songs like faith and i want your sex took him to a new level. early in his career, george michael hid his homosexuality. something he later said made him feel fraudulent. a series of unhappy events and scandals followed his career peak in the 1990's. his mother died, as did his partner. and he was dogged by health problems and brushes with the law. but the singer always found a way to come back. after the hits faded, he expanded his repertoire. the new material had reinvigorated his voice. >> i can feel myself singing every night. reporter: you will always be known for classic hits like last christmas. the loss of such a huge star, aged just 53, left fans outside his london residence in shock. >> i cannot believe we are standing here. i can't believe we're standing here and george has passed away. >> euro

. # wham bam, i am a man #.earing a bikerjacket and a white tee, george michael takes his first steps into the limelight as one half of the pop duo, wham. back then, he had big hair and a perma—tan — it was his idea of early ‘80s glam. the reality was a little different. they stuck us in this hotel that must‘ve been about 80p a night. i was sleeping the night before my first top of the pops in polystyrene sheets and it was a childsize bed! i was sat with my feet over the end, thinking, this is not how it's supposed to be. no matter. he continued to live the dream with feel—good chart hits. # but don't worry, you can suntan #. then came a change of tone and direction. # i'm never gonna dance again. guilty feet have got no rhythm # leading to a career as a soulful solo artist. his first album, faith, sold over 25 million copies, garnered awards galore, and sealed his reputation as a major international artist. it was, oh my god. i'm a massive star. and i think i may be a poof, what am i going to do?! this is not g

he formed wham in the early 19805 decades.ed wham in the early 1980s and went on to forge an excellent solo career, notching up a lot of number ones. martin fry saying that he was devastated to hear of the loss of george michael a truly brilliant talent. duran to run, they were very well—known in the 1980s, they refer to the so—called curse of 2016. they have lost so many artists this year and there specifically refer to prince, david burleigh and rick parfitt. love and sympathy to george michael ‘s family is from another twitter account. larue, a fellow pop star says another one gone. what a voice and what a songwriter. this was a man who had a career spanning decades and so many, many people ever so many ages decades and so many, many people ever so many ages will know him. decades and so many, many people ever so many ages will know himm terms of what happens next, you are saying, the police are saying it is not suspicious. what is the procedure now? we will have to wait and see. there will be an inquest, no doubt, a postmo

the irony is that when wham!were talking about unemployment and hire purchase and then their second single was more poppy and then wake me up before you go—go was absolutely massive for them and last christmas. but then george became more serious and you could tell that he was transitioning from being a pop star to a serious artist with careless whisper. he actually gave a lot of the songwriting credit to andrew on that one but if you watch the video, it's all george and he's almost staging that the transition from wham! to becoming george michael, the solo artist, which he did and exceeded everyone's, including i think his own, expectations. when you look at the 1980s, the biggest stars for michaeljackson, madonna and george michael. that was it. while george michael will be remembered for his chart—topping hits he was also able to make fun of himself and appeared on the bbc‘s comic relief programme in 2011 with james corden. love this one, don't you? # call me good, ah—ha. # call me bad. # call me anything you

aretha franklin, just after he left wham, thatis franklin, just after he left wham, that is to he teamedrform a song. that was how he pulled off what so few people do and make the transition from boy band to a credible solo artist. and a very successful one as well. says produced for us number one. and then his up following albums, there were i'io his up following albums, there were no videos for them and then he started to tackle subjects different to what he started with, jesus to a child tackled the death of a former lover to aids. thank you very much. russia is holding a day of national mourning for the 92 people who were killed when a military plane crashed in the black sea. authorities in russia say they've located the site where the plane came down yesterday, soon after it took off from sochi, heading to syria. 0ur moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg reports. this is one of the final images of the tupolev 154 jet. it was taken by a journalist before he boarded the plane. the flight would end in tragedy. the aircraft crashed into the black sea. the russians scrambled helicopters

he left to fame with wham!, enjoyed global success to fame with wham!obal success in the 1980s and then forged a successful solo career. he struggled with presentation and his band members said that he was bereft at the loss of his friend. george michael doing what we did best. even then, he was potentially a music superstar. he and his school formed one in the 1980s. —— formed wham!. their brand of breezy pop ca ptu red wham!. their brand of breezy pop captured a generation. a string of number one hits followed. as a solo artist, he enjoyed perhaps even greater success. artist, he enjoyed perhaps even greater success. faith sold millions on both sides of the atlantic. his popularity was not limited to his fans. fellow musicians were equally overwhelmed by his talents. he is rehearsing for the 1992 freddie mercury tribute concert. according to his publicist, he passed away peacefully on christmas day. his manager said he died of heart failure. andrew ridgely said he was heartbroken at the loss of his beloved friend. madonna said, farewell my friend, ano

we heard his sound with wham!as in his head already because careless whisper was something that he wrote way before it was released as a single. but he always had the incredible pop sensibility. some people have a voice and you hear it and it cuts straight to your heart and it cuts straight to your heart and he seemed to have that ability. many have expressed their grief on social media, including a lot of the singer's celebrity friends. singer elton john posted a picture of the two on instagram, with the caption — i am in deep shock. i have lost a beloved friend — the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. my heart goes out to his family and all of his fans. former super—model linda evangelista, who starred in michael's music video for the song freedom, also posted on instagram. i am beyond heartbroken and devastated by another tragic loss. r:i.p. dearest georgy. and singer bryan adams took to twitter to say rip george michael. i can't believe it. such an incredible singer and a lovely human being, f

i bet you were a wham fan?|j how much mother was to him. i bet you were a wham fan?i wasn't a fan, but i did like careless whisper, because other such a bad dancer that i could shuffle along to it without looking like a completed yet. are you looking for the next edition of strictly in the new year? spare us that, jo. let's pretend you did not say that and move on to the daily telegraph, a story about the nhs needing to cut beds for better care. an article written by professorjane cummings, the chief nursing officer for nhs england, and she is saying we have got to stop focusing on hospital care and we have got to increasingly look at caring for patients in their own homes, particularly elderly people. but of course the problem is that people expect hospitals, and this is a story we have discussed many times and has been written about, but of course at the moment the nhs has been more or less divided up into 44 areas. and local managers have been told to get on with thinking about how you might organise services better, working with local councils as well. it is call

we are seeing him now in his heyday with wham! .e was a period after that when his personal life came to the fore. tell us more about your perspective on all of that. when i was around and he was around, the mid—80s, he wasjust very successful, very creative. he wasn't recording as much in the last 15 years, and in the 1980s, he had hit after hit. and ijust remember seeing him around london, dancing in night clubs, going out and enjoying himself, i will always have an image of him with designer stubble and a cowboy hat and denim jacket, that is the george michael i remember. cowboy hat and denim jacket, that is the george michael i rememberlj read the george michael i remember.” read that he said about his personal life and how at various points it threatened to overwhelm the success that he had achieved in his career, but he says it always righted itself like a duck in a bath. hejust had this great talent. it was a combination of a natural gift and ha rd combination of a natural gift and hard work. he grew up loving pop music, he a

by band aid and last christmas by an wham. it is still number 16 christmas by an wham.till number16 in the christmas by an wham. it is still number 16 in the charts at the moment. and on christmas day. thank you very much. russia is holding a day of national mourning for the 92 people who were killed when a military plane crashed in the black sea. authorities in russia say they've located the site where the plane came down yesterday, soon after it took off from sochi, heading to syria. 0ur moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg reports. this is one of the final images of the tupolev 154 jet. it was taken by a journalist before he boarded the plane. the flight would end in tragedy. the aircraft crashed into the black sea. the russians scrambled helicopters and ships, but the search became a recovery operation. there were no survivors. the plane had taken off from a military airfield near moscow. it flew south, stopping in sochi to refuel. the final destination was syria and russia's airbase near latakia, but minutes after leaving sochi it crashed. president putin offered

back then, you had big hairand a one half of wham., you had big hair and a fake tan, it was his idea of early 80s glamour. the reality was a little different. they put us in this hotel that must‘ve been about 80p a night. i was sleeping the night before my first top of the pops guitar polystyrene sheets and it was a child's but! i was sat with my feet over the end thinking, this is not how it is supposed to be. no matter. it continued to live the dream with feel—good chart hits. # but don't worry, you can sometime #. then became a change of tone and direction. # i'm never going to dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm. # leading to a career as a soulful, solo artist. his first album faith sold over 25 million copies, garnered awards galore and sealed his reputation as a major international artist. 0h, sealed his reputation as a major international artist. oh, my god. i ama international artist. oh, my god. i am a massive star. and i think i may bea am a massive star. and i think i may be a puff, what am i going to do!? this is n

# wham! # bam! #iam! # a man! #job or nojob, you can't tell me that i'm not # do! # you!boom—boom into my heart # you send my soul sky high when your lovin' starts #jitterbug into my brain # goes a bang—bang—bang till my feet do the same. # club tropicana, drinks are free # fun and sunshine, there's enough for everyone. # all that's missing is the sea but don't worry, you can suntan! # last christmas, i gave you my heart # but the very next day, you gave it away # this year, to save me from tears # i'll give it to someone special. # oh, when that love comes down without devotion # well, it takes a strong man, baby # but i'm showing you the door # cos i gotta have faith # i gotta have faith # cos i gotta have faith, faith # i gotta have faith, faith, faith. # to the heart and mind # ignorance is kind # there's no comfort in the truth # pain is all you'll find # i'm never gonna dance again. # but if you're looking for fast love # if that's love in your eyes. # let's go outside # in the sunshine # i know you want to but you can't say yes # let's go outside. # you smiled at m

wham!has died. he was 53. his publicist said he died peacefully at home. wham! achieved worldwide success with hits such as wwake me up before you go—go and careless whisper. russia is beginning a national day of mourning for the 92 passengers and crew who died when the military plane taking them to syria crashed into the black sea shortly after take off. a huge search operation involving three thousand rescue workers a huge search operation involving 3,000 rescue workers continued throughout the night over a wide area. a powerful typhoon, nock—ten, is continuing to batter the philippines with strong winds and heavy rain. the storm's struck two central provinces, causing power cuts and travel disruption. it's moving slowly westward and is expected to reach the country's most densely populated areas later on monday. now it's time for a world business report, us special. welcome to donald trump's america, or what soon will be anyway. i'm samira hussain and on this special edition of world bus

george michael rose to fame in the 1980s as a member of the duo wham!nces. in other news: a major search operation off the black sea coast has pinpointed a russian military plane that crashed into the water with 92 people on board. israel orders ambassadors of un security council members to be reprimanded after they voted against its settlement building. and queen elizabeth misses her traditional christmas day service as she recovers from a heavy cold, but in a recorded speech she pays tribute to ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

wham band mate, heartbroken at the loss of my beloved friend. and aretha franklin.e made such a tremendous contribution musically. it's a huge loss. ♪ you told me to go up the back to get you extra time ♪ ♪ when i got back to the flat you had burned at the back ♪ >> my relationship with music was changed so much. you don't appreciate where you and are what you've got until you get older and watch your friends and how tough life is. suddenly you see the spit wa spirituality. not just the good fortune of being able to play good music. ♪ i will be the one who loves you till the end of ♪ ♪ i will be your father >> tune into "20/20" tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. for a full hour george michael special. >>> up next, how these parents stumbled upon a remarkable breakthrough with the son who has autism. they say he came out of his shell through animated films like "aladdin." this is my body of proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis with humira. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that ntributes to both joint a