Gay Pop Idol George Michael Dies

Our LGBT community mourns the loss of British Pop Star George Michael & founding member of Wham! who died Christmas Day at the age of 53 in Goring, England. It was reported the cause of death was heart failure. Elton John stated on Instagram, "I am in deep shock, I have lost a beloved friend — the kindest, most generous soul & a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family & all of his fans." We have been covering George Michael’s ups & down for years. As an openly out member of our LGBT community Michaels once stated, “I have a serious problem with the fact that every time I made a mistake & every time I let myself down that I was letting young gay kids down. Because they would then witness the homophobia that was thrown at me & the language that we use in this country. There are things I want to do with my next album to make up for the damage that I have inadvertently caused by making myself so newsworthy & putting myself on the back foot enough that I couldn’t defend gay children from some of that language. I’m not surprised that my fans have stuck by me. I have been surprised by the amount of support I’ve had in some ways, but my fans have always been incredibly loyal. In terms of trying to stay on the straight & narrow as it were, then there is nothing better than the work you love.”
George Michael RIP….
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