George Michael: Wham! singer praised for LGBT campaign work following news of his death

1/22
Chloe Chaplain26 December 2016
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

George Michael has been hailed for his work as a prominent gay rights campaigner and “inspiration” to the LGBT community.

The Wham! singer died from what is believed to be heart failure on Christmas day.

The 53-year-old was known for his steadfast support of LGBT issues, with some of his most famous pop hits referencing his own sexuality.

He came out as gay following his arrest in April 1998 for engaging in "a lewd act" in front of an undercover police officer in Beverly Hills.

Gay rights: The singer was known for his support of the LGBT community
PA

He was handed a £500 fine and 80 hours' community service for the incident, which led to the Sun headline Zip Me Up Before You Go Go.

He later said: "I never had a moral problem with being gay.

"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."

He admitted in an interview that his late 20s had been a very depressing time for him after he lost his partner, designer Anselmo Feleppa, to HIV.

George Michael: The singer died at his home on Christmas Day
PA

He said: "I had my very first relationship at 27 because I really had not actually come to terms with my sexuality until I was 24.

"I lost my partner to HIV then it took about three years to grieve; then after that I lost my mother. I felt almost like I was cursed."

He fronted a documentary about HIV to coincide with World Aids Day the year he came out.

The film, Staying Alive, focused on the experiences of six young people from different countries who were either infected with or affected by the HIV virus.

He was also a passionate supporter of HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust.

LGBT charity Stonewall tweeted their sadness at the news of his death, writing: "R.I.P. George Michael. You inspired many and your music will live on in the hearts of the community.

“You will be sorely missed."

Fellow campaigner, American singer Miley Cyrus, said: "Miss you already! Thank you for your radical activism in the LGBTQ community! Love you always!"

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in