Editing George Michael (section)

==Personal life==
===Sexuality and relationships===
Michael stated that his early fantasies were about women, which "led me to believe I was on the path to [[heterosexuality]]", but at puberty he started to [[Sexual fantasy|fantasise]] about men, which he later said "had something to do with my environment". At the age of 19, Michael told Andrew Ridgeley that he was [[bisexual]].<ref name="gq-magazine.co.uk">{{cite web |last=Moore |first=Jane |url=http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/men-of-the-year/home/hall-of-fame/george-michael-interview |title=George Michael on beating drugs, depression and his outing in LA – October 2004 |publisher=GQ magazine |date=October 2004 |access-date=16 June 2013 |archive-date=20 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920091856/http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/men-of-the-year/home/hall-of-fame/george-michael-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> Michael also told one of his two sisters, but he was advised not to tell his parents about his sexuality.<ref name="Andrew Johnson"/> In 1998, not long after he was [[outed]] for his sexuality, Michael said on ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'' that he became confident he was [[Homosexuality|gay]] when he fell in love with a man.<ref>{{Citation |title=George Michael Honest Interview – 1998 | date=27 February 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkqzdAH0tvA |access-date=2 August 2023 |language=en |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802061159/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkqzdAH0tvA |url-status=live }}</ref> This stance was reiterated in a 1999 interview with ''[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]'', where Michael told the editor-in-chief, Judy Wieder, that it was "falling in love with a man that ended his conflict over bisexuality".
"I never had a moral problem with being gay", Michael told her. "I thought I had fallen in love with a woman a couple of times. Then I fell in love with a man, and realised that none of those things had been love."<ref name="Wieder">{{cite book|title=Celebrity: The Advocate Interviews |last=Wieder|first=Judy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wciFOQAACAAJ |editor-last=Wieder|editor-first=Judy|year=2001|publisher=Advocate Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1-55583-722-8|page=15}}</ref>

In 2004, Michael said, "I used to sleep with women quite a lot in the Wham! days but never felt it could develop into a relationship because I knew that, emotionally, I was a gay man. I didn't want to commit to them, but I was attracted to them. Then I became ashamed that I might be using them. I decided I had to stop, which I did when I began to worry about AIDS, which was becoming prevalent in Britain. Although I had always had [[safe sex]], I didn't want to sleep with a woman without telling her I was bisexual. I felt that would be irresponsible. Basically, I didn't want to have that uncomfortable conversation that might ruin the moment, so I stopped sleeping with them." In the same interview, he added: "If I wasn't with Kenny [his boyfriend at the time], I would have sex with women, no question". He said he believed that the formation of his sexuality was "a nurture thing, via the absence of my father who was always busy working. It meant I was exceptionally close to my mother", though he stated that "there are definitely those who have a predisposition to being gay in which the environment is irrelevant."<ref name="gq-magazine.co.uk"/> In 2007, Michael said he had hidden his sexuality because of worries over what effect it might have on his mother.<ref name="Andrew Johnson">{{cite news|first=Andrew|last=Johnson|title=George Michael: Why I had to keep my homosexuality secret|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/george-michael-why-i-had-to-keep-my-homosexuality-secret-403989.html|work=The Independent|location=London|date=30 September 2007|access-date=15 February 2008|archive-date=17 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517055242/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/george-michael-why-i-had-to-keep-my-homosexuality-secret-403989.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Two years later, he added: "My depression at the end of Wham! was because I was beginning to realise I was gay, not bisexual."<ref name="huffingtonpost.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/george-michael-an-exclusi_b_157401.html|title=Johann Hari: George Michael: An Exclusive Interview|work=HuffPost|date=13 January 2009|access-date=17 December 2012|archive-date=23 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323070944/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/george-michael-an-exclusi_b_157401.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the late 1980s, Michael had a relationship with make-up artist Kathy Jeung, who was regarded for a time as his artistic [[Muse (person)|"muse"]] and who appeared in the "[[I Want Your Sex]]" video.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38432981 George Michael: Six songs that defined his life] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003211257/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38432981/ |date=3 October 2020 }}, BBC, 26 December 2016</ref> Michael later said that she had been his "only bona fide" girlfriend, and that she knew of his bisexuality.<ref name="gq-magazine.co.uk"/> In 2016, Jeung reacted to Michael's death by calling him a "true friend" with whom she had spent "some of the best time of [her] life".<ref>[https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7633328/george-michael-dead-music-video-women-memories-photos George Michael's Leading Ladies Share Memories, Photos of '90s Video Heyday] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819165934/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7633328/george-michael-dead-music-video-women-memories-photos |date=19 August 2020 }}, ''Billboard.com'', 26 December 2016</ref>

In 1991, Michael established a relationship with Anselmo Feleppa, a Brazilian dress designer whom he had met at the [[Rock in Rio]] concert in January that year. Six months into their relationship, Feleppa discovered that he was [[HIV/AIDS|HIV-positive]]. Michael later said: "It was terrifying news. I thought I could have the disease too. I couldn't go through it with my family because I didn't know how to share it with them – they didn't even know I was gay."<ref name="huffingtonpost.com"/> In 1993, Feleppa died of an AIDS-related [[brain haemorrhage]].<ref name="thebiographychannel.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/george-michael.html|title=George Michael – Biography on Bio|publisher=Thebiographychannel.co.uk|access-date=17 December 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025134538/http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/george-michael.html|archive-date=25 October 2012}}</ref> Michael's single, "[[Jesus to a Child]]", is a tribute to Feleppa (Michael consistently dedicated it to him before performing it live), as is his album ''[[Older (George Michael album)|Older]]'' (1996).<ref name="Hello">{{cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/georgemichael/|title=Latest news and profile of George Michael|work=Hello!|access-date=12 September 2011|archive-date=16 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216104729/http://hellomagazine.com/profiles/georgemichael/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, speaking about the loss of Feleppa, Michael said: "It was a terribly depressing time. It took about three years to grieve, then after that I lost my mother. I felt almost like I was cursed."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a114785/michael-music-saved-me-from-depression.html|title=Michael: 'Music saved me from depression'|work=Digital Spy|date=24 July 2008|access-date=17 December 2012|archive-date=9 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509011610/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a114785/michael-music-saved-me-from-depression.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1996, Michael entered into a long-term relationship with Kenny Goss, a former flight attendant, cheerleading coach,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/archives/f03/cheerextrafb.htm|title=Cheerleader feedback|publisher=University of North Texas|date=Fall 2003|access-date=27 April 2009|archive-date=2 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702123907/http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/archives/f03/cheerextrafb.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and sportswear executive from [[Dallas]], Texas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.home.no/cheznobby/id50.htm|title=Kenny|work=Chez Nobby|access-date=27 April 2009|archive-date=16 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216141739/http://www.home.no/cheznobby/id50.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> They had a home in Dallas,<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=146309|title=Goss Gallery to Open in Dallas Featuring International Contemporary Art|publisher=Goss Gallery|agency=PR Newswire|access-date=27 April 2009}}</ref> a 16th-century house in [[Goring-on-Thames]], Oxfordshire,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXbJUagH_Kw| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619101235/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXbJUagH_Kw&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=19 June 2012 | url-status=dead|title=Oprah.-.2004.05.26.-.George.Michael(SVCD).mpg|last=BeeTheArtist|date=7 December 2011|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-home/2005/may-june/pop-star-george-michael-and-kenny-goss-at-home/|title=Pop Star George Michael and Kenny Goss At Home|work=D Magazine|date=May–June 2005|access-date=29 December 2016|archive-date=29 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229170658/http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-home/2005/may-june/pop-star-george-michael-and-kenny-goss-at-home/|url-status=live}}</ref> and an £8&nbsp;million mansion in [[Highgate]], [[North London]].<ref name="thebiographychannel.co.uk"/> In late November 2005, it was reported that Michael and Goss planned to register their relationship as a [[Civil partnership in the United Kingdom|civil partnership in the UK]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4483552.stm|title=George Michael to 'marry' partner|work=BBC News|date=29 November 2005|access-date=27 April 2009|archive-date=27 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327121126/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4483552.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> but because of negative publicity and his upcoming tour, they postponed their plans.<ref name=BBC20060726>{{cite news|title=Michael issues 'marriage' denial|date=26 July 2006|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5216598.stm|access-date=28 October 2009|archive-date=15 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115043110/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5216598.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> On 22 August 2011, the opening night of his [[Symphonica Tour]], Michael announced that he and Goss had split two years earlier.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ward|first=Kate|url=http://music-mix.ew.com/2011/08/23/george-michael-kenny-goss-break-up/|title=George Michael announces break-up with Kenny Goss during emotional performance|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=23 August 2011|access-date=12 September 2011|archive-date=9 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209004253/http://music-mix.ew.com/2011/08/23/george-michael-kenny-goss-break-up/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Michael's homosexuality became publicly known following his April 1998 arrest for public lewdness.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/music/george-michael-kenny-goss-remembers/|title=Kenny Goss Talks the Highs and Lows of Life with Former Love George Michael|work=People|last=Boucher|first=Phil|date=8 May 2017|access-date=23 September 2018|archive-date=23 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923124224/https://people.com/music/george-michael-kenny-goss-remembers/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, Michael said "that hiding his sexuality made him feel 'fraudulent', and his eventual outing, when he was arrested [...] in 1998, was a subconsciously deliberate act."<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Andrew|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/george-michael-why-i-had-to-keep-my-homosexuality-secret-403989.html|title=George Michael: Why I had to keep my homosexuality secret|newspaper=The Independent|date=30 September 2007|access-date=17 December 2012|location=London|archive-date=17 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517055242/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/george-michael-why-i-had-to-keep-my-homosexuality-secret-403989.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, Michael entered a relationship with Fadi Fawaz, a Lebanese-Australian celebrity hairstylist and freelance photographer based in London.<ref name=usmagazine>{{Cite news|first=Megan|last=French|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/george-michaels-partner-breaks-his-silence-on-singers-death-w457823|title=George Michael's Partner Fadi Fawaz Breaks His Silence on Musician's Death|work=US Magazine|date=26 December 2016|access-date=27 December 2016|archive-date=27 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227081619/http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/george-michaels-partner-breaks-his-silence-on-singers-death-w457823|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=peoplemagazine>{{Cite news|first=Aurelie|last=Corinthios|url=http://people.com/music/george-michael-found-dead-boyfriend-bed-fadi-fawaz/|title=George Michael Was Found Dead in Bed by His Boyfriend Fadi Fawaz: 'I Will Never Stop Missing You'|work=People|date=26 December 2016|access-date=27 December 2016|archive-date=27 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227075423/https://people.com/music/george-michael-found-dead-boyfriend-bed-fadi-fawaz/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was Fawaz who found Michael's body on Christmas morning 2016.<ref name=etmagazine>{{Cite news|first=Emily|last=Krauser|url=http://www.etonline.com/news/205831_george_michael_found_dead_bed_by_boyfriend_fadi_fawaz_christmas_morning/|title=George Michael's Boyfriend Fadi Fawaz Says He Found Singer Dead in Bed on Christmas Morning: 'I Will Never Forget'|work=ET Magazine|date=26 December 2016|access-date=27 December 2016|archive-date=27 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227081909/http://www.etonline.com/news/205831_george_michael_found_dead_bed_by_boyfriend_fadi_fawaz_christmas_morning/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=yahoonews>{{Cite news|url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/33664673/fadi-fawaz-george-michaels-australian-boyfriend-found-him-dead-in-bed/#page1|title='I will never stop missing you': George Michael's Australian boyfriend found him dead in bed|publisher=Yahoo7 News|date=27 December 2016|access-date=27 December 2016|archive-date=27 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227131920/https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/33664673/fadi-fawaz-george-michaels-australian-boyfriend-found-him-dead-in-bed/#page1|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Legal troubles===
On 7 April 1998, Michael was arrested for "[[Cottaging|engaging in a lewd act]]" in a public restroom of the [[Will Rogers Memorial Park]] in [[Beverly Hills, California]].<ref>Sue McAllister, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-09-me-37715-story.html Pop Singer George Michael Arrested in Restroom of Beverly Hills Park], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 9 April 1998</ref><ref>John M. Glionna, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-29-me-54502-story.html Beverly Hills Steps Up Patrols to Stop Cruising], ''Los Angeles Times'', 29 May 1998</ref> Michael was arrested by undercover policeman Marcelo Rodríguez in a [[sting operation]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/76011.stm|title=George Michael goes to ground|work=BBC News|access-date=29 December 2016|archive-date=30 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230160917/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/76011.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> In an MTV interview, Michael stated: "I got followed into the restroom and then this cop—I didn't know it was a cop, obviously—he started playing this game, which I think is called, 'I'll show you mine, you show me yours, and then when you show me yours, I'm going to [[wikt:nick#Verb|nick]] you!'"<ref>Rex Wockner [http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/people/110998pe.htm George Michael's Tearoom Tale] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707204317/http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/people/110998pe.htm |date=7 July 2011 }} Gay Today, 9 November 1998</ref>

[[File:George Michael in OAKA stadium Athens (3).jpg|thumb|Michael performing "[[Outside (George Michael song)|Outside]]" at the [[Olympic Stadium (Athens)|Olympic Stadium]], Athens in 2007]]
After pleading "[[no contest]]" to the charge, Michael was fined US$810 and sentenced to 80 hours of [[community service]]. Soon afterwards, Michael made a video for his single "[[Outside (George Michael song)|Outside]]", which satirised the public toilet incident and featured men dressed as policemen kissing. Rodríguez claimed that this video "mocked" him, and that Michael had slandered him in interviews. In 1999, he brought a US$10&nbsp;million court case in California against the singer. The court dismissed the case, but an [[appellate court]] reinstated it on 3 December 2002.<ref>{{cite web |first=A. Wallace |last=Tashima |title=Marcelo Rodriguez v Georgios Kyriacos Panagiotou |format=PDF |publisher=United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit |url=http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/6BEA0A1BA36F0D2A88256C84000643EA/$file/0056923.pdf?openelement |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051222154503/http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/6BEA0A1BA36F0D2A88256C84000643EA/%24file/0056923.pdf?openelement |archive-date=22 December 2005 |date=3 December 2002 |access-date=15 February 2008 |author-link=A. Wallace Tashima |url-status=dead }}</ref> The court then ruled that Rodríguez, as a public official, could not legally recover damages for emotional distress.<ref>"George Bust 'Bad Karma' Says US Cop", ''Sunday Star'', 5 March 2006</ref>

On 23 July 2006, Michael was again accused of engaging in [[anonymous sex|anonymous public sex]], this time at London's [[Hampstead Heath]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5222652.stm Star to sue over 'cruising' claim] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729201952/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5222652.stm |date=29 July 2009 }} BBC News, 28 July 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2009</ref> Michael stated that his [[cruising for sex|cruising for anonymous sex]] was not an issue in his relationship with partner Kenny Goss.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110711080023/http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=7912 Quote UnQuote]. ''Gay and Lesbian Times'', 10 August 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2009</ref>

In February 2006, Michael was arrested for possession of [[Class C drugs]], an incident that he described as "my own stupid fault, as usual". He was cautioned by the police and released.<ref name=PinkBenjamin2006 >{{Cite news|title=George Michael: "arrest my own stupid fault"|last=Cohen|first=Benjamin|date=27 February 2006|newspaper=Pink News|access-date=20 November 2009|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-626.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825033720/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-626.html|archive-date=25 August 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2007, he pleaded guilty to [[drug-impaired driving]] after obstructing the road at traffic lights in Cricklewood in northwest London, and was subsequently banned from driving for two years and sentenced to community service.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641264521 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216141745/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641264521 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 December 2008 |title=Pop Star Pleads Guilty To Drug-Drive Charge |publisher=Sky News |access-date=27 April 2009 |date=8 May 2007 }}</ref> On 19 September 2008, Michael was arrested in a public convenience in the Hampstead Heath area for possession of Class A and C drugs. He was taken to the police station and cautioned for controlled substance possession.<ref name="George Michael arrest over drugs">{{cite news|title=George Michael arrest over drugs|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7627636.stm|date=20 September 2008|access-date=20 September 2008|work=BBC News|archive-date=14 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100814182731/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7627636.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the early hours of 4 July 2010, Michael was returning from the [[Gay Pride]] parade, when he was spotted on CCTV crashing his car into the front of a [[Snappy Snaps]] store in Hampstead, north London, and was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive.<ref name="George Michael Arrested">{{cite web|url=http://skyliving.sky.com/celebrity/george-michael-arrested|title=George Michael Arrested|publisher=Sky Living HD|access-date=6 July 2010|archive-date=26 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626151950/http://skyliving.sky.com/celebrity/george-michael-arrested|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Paine">{{cite magazine|first=Andre|last=Paine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957509/george-michael-arrested-after-london-car-crash|title=George Michael Arrested After London Car Crash|magazine=Billboard|date=6 July 2010|access-date=12 August 2010|archive-date=4 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704213942/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957509/george-michael-arrested-after-london-car-crash|url-status=live}}</ref> On 12 August, London's [[Metropolitan Police]] said he was "charged with possession of cannabis and with driving while unfit through drink or drugs".<ref>[https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/956899/george-michael-charged-with-drug-driving-offenses George Michael Charged With Drug, Driving Offenses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820023059/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/956899/george-michael-charged-with-drug-driving-offenses |date=20 August 2020 }} ''Billboard'', 12 August 2010</ref> It was reported that Michael had also been taking the prescription [[tricyclic antidepressant]] medication [[amitriptyline]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23877664-george-michael-faces-jail-over-drug-driving-crash.do |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916001545/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23877664-george-michael-faces-jail-over-drug-driving-crash.do |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 September 2010 |title=George Michael gets eight weeks in jail for drug driving crash |first=Paul |last=Cheston |date=14 September 2010 |work=Evening Standard |access-date=10 October 2010 }}</ref> On 24 August 2010, the singer pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in London after admitting driving under the influence of drugs.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11070361|title=George Michael pleads guilty to driving under the influence of drugs|work=BBC News|date=24 August 2010|access-date=12 September 2011|archive-date=24 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124164016/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11070361|url-status=live}}</ref> On 14 September 2010, at the same court, Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, a fine, and a five-year ban from driving.<ref name="BBC Jailed">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11299938|title=George Michael jailed for eight weeks for drug driving|work=BBC News|access-date=14 September 2010|date=14 September 2010|archive-date=15 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915041903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11299938|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/8002310/George-Michael-jailed-for-eight-weeks.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917125919/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/8002310/George-Michael-jailed-for-eight-weeks.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 September 2010|title=George Michael jailed for eight weeks|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=14 September 2010|access-date=14 September 2010}}</ref> Michael was released from [[HM Prison Highpoint South|Highpoint Prison]] in Suffolk on 11 October 2010, after serving four weeks.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/8055522/George-Michael-released-from-prison.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013234634/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/8055522/George-Michael-released-from-prison.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=11 October 2010|access-date=11 October 2010|title=George Michael released from prison}}</ref> In the dent in the shop wall Michael had crashed into, someone wrote the graffito "Wham!".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/24/george-michael-pleads-guilty-to-drug-offenses/|work=The Washington Times|location=Washington|date=24 August 2010|access-date=9 May 2021|title=George Michael pleads guilty to drug offenses|archive-date=9 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509065829/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/24/george-michael-pleads-guilty-to-drug-offenses/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Health===
Michael struggled with substance abuse for many years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/26/george-michael-died-alone-boyfriend-reveals-battled-secret-heroin/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/26/george-michael-died-alone-boyfriend-reveals-battled-secret-heroin/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=George Michael's boyfriend reveals he died alone at home, amid claims he had battled heroin habit |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=28 December 2016|access-date=23 September 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Guthrie">{{cite news|url=https://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/2016/12/27/george-michael-drugs/|title=Drugs, depression, weight gain: George Michael's challenging final years|newspaper=The New Daily|last=Guthrie|first=Susannah|date=27 December 2016|access-date=23 September 2018|archive-date=23 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923124038/https://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/2016/12/27/george-michael-drugs/|url-status=live}}</ref> He was arrested for drug-related offences in 2006,<ref name=PinkBenjamin2006/> 2008<ref name="George Michael arrest over drugs"/> and 2010.<ref name="George Michael Arrested"/><ref name="Paine"/> In September 2007, on BBC Radio 4's ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', Michael said that his [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] use was a problem; he wished he could smoke less of it and was constantly trying to do so.<ref name="Drug is a problem, Michael admits">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7018682.stm|title=Drug is a problem, Michael admits|work=BBC News|date=30 September 2007|access-date=27 April 2009|archive-date=3 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103173317/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7018682.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> On 5 December 2009, in an interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'', Michael explained he had cut back on cannabis and was smoking only "seven or eight" [[spliffs]] per day instead of the 25 per day he had formerly smoked.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/dec/05/george-michael-interview-music-sex-drugs|title=George Michael: 'I'm surprised I've survived my own dysfunction'|work=The Guardian|location=London|date=5 December 2009|access-date=15 January 2010|first=Simon|last=Hattenstone|archive-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221075203/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/dec/05/george-michael-interview-music-sex-drugs|url-status=live}}</ref> Michael also abused sleeping pills.<ref name="Guthrie"/>

On 26 October 2011, Michael cancelled a performance at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London due to a [[viral infection]]. On 21 November, [[Vienna General Hospital]] admitted Michael after he complained of chest pains while at a hotel two hours before his performance at a venue there for his [[Symphonica Tour]]. Michael appeared to be "in good spirits" and responded well to treatment following his admission, but on 25 November hospital officials said that his condition had "worsened overnight". This development led to cancellations and postponements of Michael's remaining 2011 performances, which had been scheduled mainly for the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/george-michael/60622|title=George Michael shelves all 2011 tour dates due to illness|work=NME|location=UK|date=15 September 2011|access-date=25 November 2011|archive-date=28 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128034033/http://www.nme.com/news/george-michael/60622|url-status=live}}</ref> The singer was later confirmed to have suffered from [[pneumonia]] and, until 1 December, was in an [[intensive care unit]]; at one point, he was comatose. On 21 December, the hospital discharged him. Michael told the press that he had undergone a [[tracheotomy]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16316592|title=George Michael: 'It was the worst month of my life'|work=BBC Mobile|date=23 December 2011|access-date=23 December 2011|archive-date=23 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223174713/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16316592|url-status=live}}</ref> that the staff at the hospital had saved his life, and that he would perform a free concert for them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/good_tidings_george_michael_out_of/282464|title=Good Tidings! George Michael Out of Hospital and Homeward Bound|publisher=E!|date=22 December 2011|access-date=31 December 2011|archive-date=9 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109024754/http://www.eonline.com/news/good_tidings_george_michael_out_of/282464|url-status=live}}</ref> After waking from the coma, Michael had a temporary [[West Country English]] accent, and there was concern he had developed [[foreign accent syndrome]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9407826/George-Michael-I-woke-up-from-coma-with-a-West-Country-accent.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9407826/George-Michael-I-woke-up-from-coma-with-a-West-Country-accent.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=George Michael: I woke up from coma with a West Country accent|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=18 July 2012|access-date=17 December 2012|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On 16 May 2013, Michael sustained a head injury in a car accident on the [[M1 motorway]], near [[St Albans]] in Hertfordshire and was airlifted to hospital.<ref name=bbc_m1>{{cite news|title=George Michael injured in M1 crash|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-22571754|publisher=BBC|access-date=22 May 2013|date=17 May 2013|archive-date=19 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519014224/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-22571754|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=reuters_m1>{{cite news|last=Casciato|first=Paul|title=Singer George Michael under observation for head injuries|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-georgemichael-hospital-idUSBRE94K0K920130521|agency=Reuters|access-date=22 May 2013|date=21 May 2013|archive-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315015138/http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-georgemichael-hospital-idUSBRE94K0K920130521|url-status=live}}</ref> On 29 May, Michael's publicist confirmed that he had left the hospital and that his injuries were superficial.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/29/george-michael-leaves-hospital-fall-motorway |title=George Michael leaves hospital after falling from car on motorway |work=The Guardian |date=29 May 2013 |access-date=27 September 2021 |archive-date=28 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928030209/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/29/george-michael-leaves-hospital-fall-motorway |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, Michael stated that he had refrained from using cannabis for one and one half years. In June 2015, he checked into a drug rehabilitation facility in Switzerland.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/george-michael-checks-into-rehab-for-substance-abuse/2015/06/14/aeb64f74-12e2-11e5-8457-4b431bf7ed4c_story.html |title=George Michael 'checks into rehab for substance abuse' |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=14 June 2015 |access-date=27 September 2021 |archive-date=20 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220144301/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/george-michael-checks-into-rehab-for-substance-abuse/2015/06/14/aeb64f74-12e2-11e5-8457-4b431bf7ed4c_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Politics===
{{Blockquote|"To call us [[Thatcherite]] was so simplistic, basically saying that if you've got a deep enough tan and made a bit of money then you've got to be a Thatcherite."|Michael, a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] voter throughout the 1980s, distancing himself from Thatcher's [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].<ref name="Lynskey">{{cite book |first=Dorian |last=Lynskey |year=2011 |title=33 Revolutions Per Minute |title-link=33 Revolutions per Minute (book) |page=1836 |publisher=Faber & Faber }}</ref>}}

Michael's father was a [[communist]]. At the age of fifteen, Michael joined the [[Young Communist League (Great Britain)|Young Communist League]], under his Greek name.<ref name="Rantzen">{{cite web |last1=Leonard |first1=Charles |title=Shoot the Dog – George Michael |url=https://www.newframe.com/political-songs-shoot-the-dog-george-michael/ |website=New Frame |date=13 December 2019 |access-date=20 March 2021 |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420072302/https://www.newframe.com/political-songs-shoot-the-dog-george-michael/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During the time of [[Margaret Thatcher]] as the Conservative [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] throughout the 1980s, Michael voted Labour.<ref name="Lynskey"/> In September 1984, Wham! performed at a benefit concert at London's [[Royal Festival Hall]] for the [[1984–1985 United Kingdom miners' strike|striking UK miners]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stanley |first1=Bob |title=Why Wham! were positively the most misunderstood group of the 1980s |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/dec/26/george-michael-wham-most-misunderstood-group-1980s-thatcherism |website=The Guardian |access-date=4 January 2022 |language=en |date=26 December 2016 |archive-date=2 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102072109/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/dec/26/george-michael-wham-most-misunderstood-group-1980s-thatcherism |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2000, Michael joined [[Melissa Etheridge]], [[Garth Brooks]], [[Queen Latifah]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], and [[k.d. lang]], to perform in Washington, D.C. as part of Equality Rocks, a concert to benefit the [[Human Rights Campaign]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1432143/george-michael-queen-latifah-rock-equality.jhtml |title=George Michael, Queen Latifah To Rock For "Equality" |last=Basham |first=David |date=28 February 2000 |access-date=12 June 2011 |archive-date=7 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107101724/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1432143/george-michael-queen-latifah-rock-equality.jhtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> an American LGBT rights group. His 2002 single "[[Shoot the Dog]]" was critical of the friendly relationship between the UK and US governments, in particular the relationship between [[Tony Blair]] and [[George W. Bush]], with their involvement in the [[War on Terror]].<ref name="Blair" /> Michael voiced his concern about the lack of public consultation in the UK regarding the War on Terror: "On an issue as enormous as the possible bombing of Iraq, how can you represent us when you haven't asked us what we think?"<ref name="Blair">{{cite news|title=Michael's video lampoons the Blairs|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2077598.stm|access-date=11 April 2015|issue=1 July 2002}}</ref>

In 2006, Michael performed a free concert for [[NHS]] nurses in London to thank the nurses who had cared for his late mother. He told the audience: "Thank you for everything you do — some people appreciate it. Now if we can only get the government to do the same thing."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6199229.stm |title=Michael stages concert for nurses |work=BBC News |date=21 December 2006 |access-date=27 December 2016 |archive-date=27 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227131833/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6199229.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2007, Michael sent the £1,450,000 piano that [[John Lennon]] used to write "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]" around the United States on a "peace tour", displaying at places where notable acts of violence had taken place, such as [[Dallas]]' [[Dealey Plaza]], where US President [[John F. Kennedy]] had been [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|shot]].<ref name="steinway">{{cite news|title=Most Expensive Musical Instruments |url=https://www.forbes.com/2006/04/10/cx_mr_0411featslide_print.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518103716/http://www.forbes.com/2006/04/10/cx_mr_0411featslide_print.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 May 2006 |work=Forbes |date=10 April 2006 |access-date=15 February 2008 }}</ref> He devoted his 2007 concert in [[Sofia]], from his [[25 Live]] tour to the Bulgarian nurses prosecuted in the [[HIV trial in Libya]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=81212 |title=Bulgaria: George Michael: Free Bulgaria's Nurses in Libya! |publisher=Novinite.com |date=29 May 2007 |access-date=27 April 2009 |archive-date=28 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183316/http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=81212 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 17 June 2008, Michael said he was thrilled by [[Same-sex marriage in California|California's legalisation of same-sex marriage]], calling the move "way overdue".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-06-18-georgemichael_N.htm |title=George Michael sounds off on gay marriage |work=[[USA Today]] |date=18 June 2008 |access-date=12 September 2011 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |first=Natalie |last=Rodman |archive-date=28 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028153917/http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-06-18-georgemichael_N.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Philanthropy===
In November 1984, Michael joined other British and Irish pop stars of the era to form Band Aid, singing on the charity song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for [[1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia|famine relief in Ethiopia]]. This single became the UK Christmas number one in December 1984, holding Michael's own song, "Last Christmas" by Wham!, at No. 2.<ref name="guardian nov2012"/> "Do They Know It's Christmas?" sold 3.75&nbsp;million copies in the UK and became the biggest-selling single in UK chart history, a title it held until 1997 when it was overtaken by [[Elton John]]'s "[[Candle in the Wind 1997]]", released in tribute to [[Princess Diana]] following [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|her death]] (Michael attended [[Diana's funeral]] with Elton John).<ref name="guardian nov2012">{{cite news |first=Ami |last=Sedghi |title=UK's million-selling singles: the full list |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London, England |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/nov/04/uk-million-selling-singles-full-list |date=4 November 2012 |access-date=4 November 2012 |archive-date=18 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218080740/https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/nov/04/uk-million-selling-singles-full-list |url-status=live }}</ref> Michael donated the royalties from "Last Christmas" to Band Aid and subsequently sang with Elton John at [[Live Aid]] (the Band Aid charity concert) in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gbtimes.com/life/30-years-later-original-band-aid-performers|title=30 years later... the original Band Aid performers|last=Butcher|first=Asa|date=20 November 2014|publisher=gbtimes.com|access-date=25 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226145946/http://gbtimes.com/life/30-years-later-original-band-aid-performers|archive-date=26 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1986, Michael took part in [[the Prince's Trust]] charity concert held at [[Wembley Arena]], performing "[[Everytime You Go Away]]" alongside [[Paul Young]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Wham! star and solo artist George Michael dies peacefully at home aged 53|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/live/2016/dec/26/pop-star-george-michael-dies-peacefully-at-home-aged-53-live|work=The Guardian|date=26 December 2016|access-date=26 December 2016|archive-date=26 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226094842/https://www.theguardian.com/music/live/2016/dec/26/pop-star-george-michael-dies-peacefully-at-home-aged-53-live|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1988, Michael participated in the [[Nelson Mandela]] 70th Birthday Tribute at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] in London together with many other singers (such as [[Annie Lennox]] and [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]), performing "Sexual Healing".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tonyhollingsworth.com/?q=content/nelson-mandela-70th-birthday-tribute|title=Tony Hollingsworth: Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute|last=Elman|first=Peter|publisher=Tribute Inspirations Limited|access-date=25 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328104810/http://tonyhollingsworth.com/?q=content%2Fnelson-mandela-70th-birthday-tribute|archive-date=28 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

An [[LGBT rights]] campaigner and [[HIV/AIDS]] charity fundraiser,<ref>{{cite news|author1=Jones, Owen|author-link1=Owen Jones (writer)|title=George Michael was a defiant gay icon. His memory must not be sanitised|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/26/george-michael-defiant-gay-icon-sex-life-lgbt-rights|access-date=26 December 2016|work=The Guardian|date=26 December 2016|archive-date=26 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226155543/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/26/george-michael-defiant-gay-icon-sex-life-lgbt-rights|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Royes|first1=Luke|title=George Michael remembered as gay trailblazer who pushed pop boundaries|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-26/george-michaels-legacy-as-gay-pop-superstar/8148634|access-date=26 December 2016|publisher=ABC|date=26 December 2016|archive-date=26 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226095123/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-26/george-michaels-legacy-as-gay-pop-superstar/8148634|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hooper|first1=Ryan|title=How George Michael became one of the world's most important LGBT rights campaigners|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/george-michael-dead-lgbt-gay-rights-figure-a7495871.html|access-date=26 December 2016|work=The Independent|date=26 December 2016|archive-date=26 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226221554/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/george-michael-dead-lgbt-gay-rights-figure-a7495871.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the proceeds from the 1991 single "[[Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me#1991 version|Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me]]" were divided among 10 different charities for children, AIDS and education. He was also a patron of the [[Elton John AIDS Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ejaf.com/about/our-patrons/|title=Our Patrons|publisher=Elton John AIDS Foundation|access-date=25 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012055947/http://ejaf.com/about/our-patrons/|archive-date=12 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Michael wore a [[red ribbon]] at the [[Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]] at Wembley Stadium in April 1992.<ref>Sander L. Gilman ''Diseases & diagnoses: the second age of biology'' p.50. Transaction Publishers, 2010</ref><ref>Sarah E. H. Moore (2008) ''Ribbon culture: charity, compassion, and public awareness'' p.74. [[Palgrave Macmillan]],</ref> He was instrumental in bringing the compilation CD ''[[Red Hot + Dance]]'' to fruition, contributing three original songs, with the album featuring [[Seal (musician)|Seal]] and [[Madonna]] among others.<ref>{{cite news |title=Red Hot + Dance |url=https://redhot.org/project/red-hot-dance/ |access-date=19 April 2022 |agency=Redhot.org |archive-date=2 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502130416/https://redhot.org/project/red-hot-dance/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2003, he paired up with [[Ronan Keating]] on the UK edition of the game show ''[[Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (British game show)|Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?]]'' and won £32,000, after having their original £64,000 winnings halved by answering the £125,000 question incorrectly.<ref name="Telegraph-50years">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10139404/George-Michael-50-years-in-numbers.html|title=George Michael: 50 years in numbers|last=Vincent|first=Alice|date=25 June 2013|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=25 December 2016|archive-date=26 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626202548/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10139404/George-Michael-50-years-in-numbers.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=T0nwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT336|page = 336|title = Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael|first = Robert|last = Steele|publisher = [[Omnibus Press]]|year = 2011|isbn = 978-0-85712-726-6|access-date = 28 August 2017|archive-date = 9 February 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230209163446/https://books.google.com/books?id=T0nwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT336|url-status = live}}</ref> The same year, Michael joined other celebrities to support a campaign to help raise £20&nbsp;million for [[terminally ill]] children run by the [[Rainbow Trust Children's Charity]] of which he was a patron. He said: "Loss is such an incredibly difficult thing. I bow down to people who actually have to deal with the loss of a child."<ref name="BBC-charity">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3120494.stm|title=Michael backs children's charity|date=18 September 2003|publisher=BBC|access-date=25 December 2016|archive-date=27 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927183644/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3120494.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:5 The Grove, Highgate.jpg|thumb|[[5, The Grove]], Michael's home in [[Highgate]], north London, is a [[grade II listed]] building.<ref name=EngH>{{National Heritage List for England |num=1378980|desc=Number 5 and attached railings, wall and lamp.|access-date=28 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Banks |first=Emily |title=Fans gather at singer George Michael's Highgate home following his death on Christmas Day. |url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/21345344.fans-gather-singer-george-michaels-highgate-home-following-death-christmas-day/ |website=Ham & High |date=26 December 2016 |access-date=24 December 2023 |archive-date=24 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224195656/https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/21345344.fans-gather-singer-george-michaels-highgate-home-following-death-christmas-day/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

From 2005 until his death, Michael was a patron of the [[Swan Lifeline]] charity. At the time he had moved to his home in Highgate, the river at the end of his garden was occupied by [[swan]]s. A neighbour, who was involved with the charity, asked him if he would be interested, and he immediately agreed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Remembering the pop star who loved his rural retreat |url=http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/events/119999/remembering-the-pop-star-who-loved-his-rural-retreat.html |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=Henley Standard |date=January 2018 |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207215223/https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/events/119999/remembering-the-pop-star-who-loved-his-rural-retreat.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The George Michael Legacy Project™ |url=https://swanlifeline.uk/the-george-michael-legacy-project |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=Swan Lifeline |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180843/https://swanlifeline.uk/the-george-michael-legacy-project |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=George Michael Charity Work: Charities and Foundations GM Supported |url=https://gmforever.com/george-michael-charity-work/ |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=gmforever.com|date=6 January 2018 }}</ref>

Following Michael's death, various charities revealed that Michael had privately supported them for many years. Those charities included [[Childline]] (to whom he had donated "millions"),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/26/george-michaels-acts-kindness-revealed/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/26/george-michaels-acts-kindness-revealed/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=George Michael's incredible acts of kindness revealed following his untimely death|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=26 December 2016|last1=Lockhart|first1=Keely}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Rantzen" /> the [[Terrence Higgins Trust]], and [[Macmillan Cancer Support]].<ref name="Scotsman" /> Michael also donated to individuals: he reportedly called the production team of the quiz show ''[[Deal or No Deal (British game show)|Deal or No Deal]]'' after a contestant had revealed that she needed £15,000 to fund [[IVF]] treatment and anonymously paid for the treatment.<ref name="Scotsman">{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/celebrity/george-michael-s-secret-generosity-through-charity-donations-1-4325851|title=George Michael's secret generosity through charity donations|work=The Scotsman|date=26 December 2016|access-date=26 December 2016|archive-date=27 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227061232/http://www.scotsman.com/news/celebrity/george-michael-s-secret-generosity-through-charity-donations-1-4325851|url-status=live}}</ref> Michael once tipped a student nurse working as a barmaid £5,000 because she was in debt.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/george-michael-was-prolific-philanthropist-both-publicly-privately-n700331|title=George Michael was a prolific philanthropist both publicly and privately|publisher=NBC News|access-date=28 December 2016|archive-date=28 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228115956/http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/george-michael-was-prolific-philanthropist-both-publicly-privately-n700331|url-status=live}}</ref> On 3 January 2017, another woman came forward and (with the permission of Michael's family) revealed he had anonymously paid for her IVF treatment after seeing her talk about her problems conceiving on an episode of ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'' in 2010. The woman gave birth to a girl in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title='I cannot ever thank him enough', says mum whose IVF was paid for by George Michael|url=http://www.itv.com/news/2017-01-03/i-cant-ever-thank-him-enough-says-woman-who-received-ivf-donation-from-george-michael/|publisher=ITV|date=4 January 2017|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104152255/http://www.itv.com/news/2017-01-03/i-cant-ever-thank-him-enough-says-woman-who-received-ivf-donation-from-george-michael/|url-status=live}}</ref>

After his death, it was also revealed that Michael had been anonymously paying for an annual Christmas tree erected where he lived in Highgate, as well as funding the Christmas lights, for the previous decade. He was also the largest funder of Highgate's annual Fair in the Square for those ten years, donating anonymously as "a local resident".<ref>{{cite news|title=Pop star George Michael secretly funded Highgate's Fair in the Square celebrations and village Christmas Tree|url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/pop-star-george-michael-secretly-funded-highgate-s-fair-in-3544116|publisher=Ham & High|date=30 December 2016|access-date=9 May 2021|archive-date=9 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509072920/https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/pop-star-george-michael-secretly-funded-highgate-s-fair-in-3544116|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Family and friends gather in Highgate for George Michael's funeral|url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/family-and-friends-gather-in-highgate-for-george-michael-s-3551998|publisher=Ham & High|date=29 March 2017|access-date=9 May 2021|archive-date=9 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509072920/https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/family-and-friends-gather-in-highgate-for-george-michael-s-3551998|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Assets===
Between 2006 and 2008, according to reports, Michael earned £48.5&nbsp;million from the 25 Live tour alone.<ref>{{cite news|title=George Michael 'earns £1.6million for one hour's work '|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/5009563/George-Michael-earns-1.6million-for-one-hours-work.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/5009563/George-Michael-earns-1.6million-for-one-hours-work.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Telegraph|date=26 December 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In July 2014, he was reported to have been a celebrity investor in a [[tax avoidance]] scheme called Liberty.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/george-michael-and-michael-caine-accused-of-tax-avoidance-through-liberty-scheme-9594976.html|title=George Michael and Michael Caine accused of tax avoidance through Liberty scheme|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|date=9 July 2014|access-date=11 July 2014|archive-date=9 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709170911/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/george-michael-and-michael-caine-accused-of-tax-avoidance-through-liberty-scheme-9594976.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the [[Sunday Times Rich List 2015|''Sunday Times'' Rich List 2015]] of the wealthiest British musicians, Michael was worth £105&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nightingale |first1=Laura |title=Sunday Times Rich List: Who are the UK's richest musicians? |url=http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/sunday-times-rich-list-who-9126070 |access-date=26 December 2016 |publisher=getsurrey.co.uk |date=27 April 2015 |archive-date=20 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820042723/http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/sunday-times-rich-list-who-9126070 |url-status=live }}</ref>