Talk:George Michael

Link leads to Wrong Article

Hi. Near the top of this article where it says he is known for songs such as, the link for "faith" directs to the article about the album and not the song Geekgirl1990 (talk) 19:44, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

You seem to have misread that. As of my writing this, the sentence reads "He was best known for his work in the 1980s and 1990s, including hit singles such as "Last Christmas" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", and albums such as Faith (1987) and Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990)." That is, the sentence refers to the album and not the song, which the link reflects. TompaDompa (talk) 20:09, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

The single "Faith" would be almost equally notable, as it was 1988's best-selling single in the United States. It made No.1 in the US, but only No.2 in the UK. The lead can't mention everything and I think it's fair that the album be considered the greater and thus more notable work. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:46, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request

Infobox needs this line to avoid a parsing error:

|death_date          = {{death date and age|2016|12|25 |1963|06|25}}

67.172.124.92 (talk) 23:13, 25 December 2016 (UTC)

Somebody got it. Thanks. 67.172.124.92 (talk) 23:15, 25 December 2016 (UTC)

Wham had 4 members george, andrew, pepsi and shirley, their first 2 songs were young guns and bad boys Agapehealthy (talk) 07:55, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 December 2016

Cited his death using BBC News as a source. 92.24.114.143 (talk) 23:13, 25 December 2016 (UTC)

Already done KGirlTrucker81 ^{huh? what I've been doing} 23:22, 25 December 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 December 2016

George Micheal. Death at his home in Goring, Oxfordshire, England on the 25th December 2016 82.27.192.103 (talk) 23:16, 25 December 2016 (UTC)

Already done. JudgeRM (talk to me) 23:24, 25 December 2016 (UTC)

Elephant in the room? (AIDS/HIV Related Death)

It's obvious. Is someone going to add him to Category:AIDS-related deaths in the United Kingdom? 68.32.97.56 (talk) 01:27, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. - Fuzheado | Talk 02:03, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/12/25/news/singer-george-michael-succumbs-to-hivaids-at-53-in-london/2421.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.252.110.114 (talk) 02:28, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

This does not seem to be a reliable source considering this is the only so far. WP:RS for this claim should be something like LA Times or BBC (IMO). - Mlpearc (open channel) 02:34, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Here's some background on the publisher of the Santa Monica Observer. This paper also speculated that Prince died of AIDS although it is now known that he died of a drug overdose. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 02:58, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

I also reviewed this source (Santa Monica Observer) and there are a few sources claiming his death was HIV related. It appears to be speculation, but hey, the speculation may be accurate. People don't normally die of Pneumonia and viral infections at age 53, and these types of health issues have been repeatedly reported for the subject of this bio. I do not know for certain if these sources are just guessing or if they have a lead from sources close to the subject of the bio. Give it a few days to see if some more reputable sources come forward with reliable reports to verify this. Right now it appears to be original research. Octoberwoodland (talk) 05:19, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Generally, claims of AIDS-related deaths should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism; modern antiretroviral treatment (HAART) has made progression to AIDS increasingly rare. TompaDompa (talk) 05:31, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Based on the public sources of the conduct of the subject of this bio (and very well described in the article itself), its clear he has a long history of alcohol and drug abuse, both of which can cause severe, life threatening health issues, so you may have a point. And yes, modern science is close to not only suppressing the disease HIV in people infected with it, but coming closer and closer to curing it from research published. Octoberwoodland (talk) 05:36, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

His publicist claims he died of a heart attack, and went peacefully. [1] -- Problem I have with this is that I have survived a heart attack, and there is nothing peaceful about it when you have one -- cardiac victims often bite off their tongue the pain is so incredible. I think folks just need to sit back and wait and see what other reports surface. Oddly the Santa Monica Observer claims the source of the HIV related claims was from his publicist. This one is a wait and see... Octoberwoodland (talk) 05:49, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Totally agree with Octoberwoodland, the article is not going anywhere. Mlpearc Phone (open channel) 05:52, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

@Octoberwoodland: The publicist didn't say anything about a heart attack (that is, a myocardial infarction). He said he died of heart failure, which is not the same thing. TompaDompa (talk) 05:57, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

When your heart starts to shut down, it's agonizing, no matter how hard you try to breathe, you feel like you are being smothered inside a bubble of pain -- it's anything but peaceful and serene. A heart attack is a form of heart failure, and they are a very unpleasant experience. If severe enough, you just fall down dead -- and its not peaceful. That's where I have a problem with reports of "went peacefully due to heart failure". Not buying it. Octoberwoodland (talk) 06:07, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Speculation about the circumstances of this death are of no value, since we are obligated to summarize what high quality reliable sources say about this death, and nothing more. It matters not at all what any individual editor imagines to be the truth. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 06:20, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

You are so right -- wait and see what sources show up. Right now its all just OR. Octoberwoodland (talk) 06:22, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Privacy issue?

The article currently states (name redacted by me):

On 23 July 2006, Michael was again accused of engaging in anonymous public sex, this time at London's Hampstead Heath. The anonymous partner was stated (wrongly, as it turned out) to be 58-year-old [name deleted], an unemployed van driver. Despite saying that he intended to sue both the News of the World tabloid who supposedly photographed the incident and [name deleted] for slander, Michael stated that he cruised for anonymous sex and that this was not an issue in his relationship with partner Kenny Goss.

Why is the 58-year-old man identified in the article if he didn't have sex with George Michael? Did the man in fact claim to News of the World that he had had sex with Michael, when in fact he hadn't? And the paragraph goes on to say that Michael said he was going to sue the newspaper and the 58-year-old man, but leaves it unclear as to whether he actually did so (and this incident was 10 years ago, so if the lawsuit was ever filed it should have been concluded a long time ago). --Metropolitan90 (talk) 03:54, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Heart failure

Medical note: Heart failure means that the heart is incapable of pumping enough blood to meet the body's requirements. It does not mean that the heart stopped beating altogether (that would be cardiac arrest). It is also not the same thing as a heart attack (myocardial infarction).

With that in mind, the manager's claim that he died of heart failure is conjecture; he simply could not know. Considering laypeople often do not know the precise meanings of medical terms, it is likely the manager meant something different. The circumstances (age 53, unexpected death, died peacefully) also point towards a cause of death other than heart failure.

Don't get me wrong, it is possible that George Michael had in fact been diagnosed with heart failure previously, that the manager was aware of this, that the manager inferred that the heart failure was the cause of death, and that this inference was correct. However, this would still only be a guess that turned out to be correct. TompaDompa (talk) 06:20, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Im sure his publicist is an expert forensic doctor who has completed an autopsy. Heart not beating is the worse failure it can have.--Simon19801 (talk) 00:13, 28 December 2016 (UTC)

I'm an EMT, and I fully understand the differences you are trying to express. But the quote is accurate and I don't see a problem including it so long as it is properly attributed (as it was). Brianga (talk) 06:29, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

TompaDompa, I'm with Brianga on this one. I don't particularly care whether that tidbit is in, but if it's clearly stated that this is in the manager's voice, I have no problem with it. —ATS 🖖 talk 06:36, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

The problem I see is that it is misleading (per the WP:Editing policy, "on Wikipedia a lack of content is better than misleading or false content"); the average person reading the article would expect the manager's words to be authoritative on the subject, which they are not. It could be rephrased to make the conjectural aspect more clear, however. TompaDompa (talk) 06:38, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

The "average person" knows that heart failure is not a conclusive medical finding and that it will take some time to get something more formal. However, that is the best description we now have for the cause of death, and is certainly better than what fake news sites are spouting. Once more authoritative sources are available, they can be incorporated into the article. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 07:04, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

I'm not so sure they know that. If they don't know the precise meaning of heart failure (which I put it to you that they probably do not), I would not expect them to know how long it would take to confirm or rule it out as the cause of death. I further disagree that it is the best description we have at the moment; the best description is that the cause of death is as of yet unknown. I do agree that the manager's speculation is better than the media's, but I think no speculation at all would be far better still. TompaDompa (talk) 09:32, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Heart failure is a known cause of death and the person who has that, family and close friends would be aware of it, I have it and the age if death is consistent. The fact the manager has made the statement is irrefutable and is part of widespread reliable media reports globally. Pennine rambler (talk) 07:15, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Fatal Myocarditis leading to heart failure can occur if the immune system is compromised due to HIV, or the use of medications which suppress white blood cell production, such as Clozapine. A blood test is used to measure the level of Troponin in the bloodstream in such cases which indicates heart damage. For an autopsy, an endomyocardial biopsy specimen will show specific damage and the presence of Eosinophils in endocardium and myocardium. Octoberwoodland (talk) 07:26, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

A follow up re medical note at top of discussion, the most common cause of death in heart failure is Sudden Cardiac Death, the heart literally stops, http://www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/professionals/gp-video-based-education/series-1-videos-1-15/sudden-cardiac-death/

Pennine rambler (talk) 07:27, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Regarding some attempts in conversation here to associate heart failure to HIV treatment, there is not to my knowledge any link, opportunistic infections and skin cancers would also have caused the singer problems if that was the cause of death and given the medical treatment now for HIV the likely hood of that is remote, I happen to have a close friend who has HIV so am well aware of both conditions, Pennine rambler (talk) 07:38, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Octoberwoodland, to the best of my knowledge, there is zero evidence in reliable sources at this time that Michael was HIV positive. Lacking such evidence, your detailed, wikilinked speculation about HIV/AIDS causing his death is contrary to policy and completely out of line. It contributes nothing to improving this biography. Please desist, unless reliable sources (not fake news sites) report that he was HIV positive. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 08:41, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Well, I have been monitoring the press and so far there are no reliable sources stating he died of HIV complications. Also, more facts are emerging, including the fact that George Michael's boyfriend Fadi Fawaz found him already dead in bed at his home which totally contradicts the statements by his publicist that he died peacefully in his sleep since no one was apparently present at the moment of his death, ergo the publicists statements cannot be taken as accurate. I have located three separate articles speculating he died of HIV related illness, but all of it is just speculation. One of them is the Daily Mail in the UK. Octoberwoodland (talk) 00:48, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

I totally agree with you Cullen328 who ever is adding speculation about his HIV status to this article should stop.--Pennine rambler (talk) 14:09, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

I had no idea he had HIV. But if that's a hoax, it isn't funny. Sob.RoobayKC (talk) 10:12, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

In spite of the pressure being exerted by one of the commenters here to label Mr Michael's death as HIV-related, I agree with TompaDompa. His manager is speculating, of course, even if he believes or hopes what he said is true. There are quite a few conditions that can lead to a quick, unattended death, including a stroke (embolism or aneurysm), a thoracic or abdominal aneurysm, pulmonary embolism, a head injury (they don't need to leave external marks to be devastating), and the already-mentioned sudden cardiac death.

However, one thing that hasn't been mentioned is Michaels had a long struggle with depression. The holidays can be a very difficult time for those suffering from depression and results in a spike of suicides. Also, a sudden piece of bad news can increase depression. (And, yes - depression causes great suffering.) A person can intentionally give oneself a toxic substance or an overdose of a narcotic to seek relief from the suffering. In the case of a narcotic overdose, he could have tidied away the evidence before going to bed to await the end.

My point is that, in the absence of evidence, there are plenty of possibilities for which we have no conclusion. If it were up to me, I'd leave out the manager's speculation and leave in that an autopsy is underway. If the responding EMTs (or whatever they are called in England) or the hospital he was transported to, make an official statement, then include a quote. There's no need to prematurely push for an HIV-related death. As for AIDS, people just do not die of it in secret - it is a long process that causes great suffering and very obvious signs in the patient's appearance. Whatever the cause of Mr Michael's death, I do hope it was peaceful. Thank you, Wordreader (talk) 23:03, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

In the UK a doctor is required to certify a death, and one would have been called on suspecting something was seriously wrong with Michael. The doctor would have told the person(s) present, e.g., Michael's family, friends, what he/she suspected was the cause of death. The family or friends would have informed Michael's manager.

Thus "heart failure" would have been a medically-qualified person's diagnosis of the cause of death, not the manager's opinion. The actual cause would have to await a post mortem, which is carried out in all cases of sudden and unexpected death in England and Wales.

FWIW, he probably died peacefully in his sleep some time during the night.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.145.115.127 (talk) 10:37, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

source for disposition of emotional distress claims in the suit filed by officer Marcelo Rodriguez against George Michael

The article has a subsection entitled Anonymous sex that includes the statement that

Michael made a video for his single "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 million court case in California against the singer. The court dismissed the case, but an appellate court reinstated the case on 3 December 2002.[136] The court then ruled Rodríguez, as a public official, could not legally recover damages for emotional distress.[137]

Citation 137 is to some _Sunday Star_, which does not have an URL.

Citation 136, does have a link, and is to the actual opinion of the court of appeal.

However, the statement that "Rodríguez, as a public official, could not legally recover damages for emotional distress" seems to come from the dissent, not the majority opinion, which remanded the case to the lower court for further proceedings.

So:

1. Am i reading the opinion correctly? (Could somebody please check?)
2. What happened in the lower court subsequent to the appeal? (Did the parties settle? Were the terms public?)

The opinion was written about 14 years ago, so it seems like there should have been time.

(And RIP GM.)

Son of eugene (talk) 06:43, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Fact correction

Wham had 4 original members george, andrew, pepsi and shirley, their first 2 songs were young guns and bad boys Agapehealthy (talk) 07:57, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Sorry, but you are incorrect, Agapehealthy. Backup dancers were not full members of the group, and Pepsi DeMacque did not start performing with Wham! until a year after the group began performing. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 08:26, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

The "anonymous sex" section

Wouldn't it be better renamed to something like "sex scandals" or "anonymous public sex"? The section is mostly about Michael's breaking the law, yet the title doesn't reflect that.--Adûnâi (talk) 16:29, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Tend to agree. So I've changed it to "Illegal activity". Doesn't exactly cover the Hampstead Heath episode, so open to any further suggestions. Martinevans123 (talk) 16:36, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Comic Relief

I'm completely aware of where I'm in regards to 3RR, so I'm starting this discussion. My views on this subject can be seen in my summaries [2] IMO this is un-encyclopedic and trivial. Looking for consensus. - Mlpearc (open channel) 17:44, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

If he had been a guest host on Saturday Night Live, then that might be summarized. However, the former superstar had been on hundreds of television shows; why single out one show? Did he receive any formal award or formal recognition of his performance on that show? I am not convinced for keeping. 176.11.146.26 (talk) 19:28, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

What area of Cyprus that Michael's father is from

In wikipedia articles about celebrities, it is common to say which region of a country that one (or both) of the parents come from. I believe that it is common knowledge that his father came from Limassol or the vicinity. What should the article say? 176.11.146.26 (talk) 17:55, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

If a reliable source can be found then please add it. Spiderone 19:34, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Rehab in 2015

Why is there no mention of him being in rehab last year? http://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/589386/Chubby-George-Michael-unrecognisable-steps-out-Swiss-rehab-celebrate-52nd-birthday (KDandridge (talk) 18:12, 26 December 2016 (UTC))

Change section to "Legal sanctions" or "Illegal activity resulting in fines and community service"

The section title "Illegal activity" implies crimes from jaywalking and up to and including manslaughter and deliberate murder. What about "Community service sentence and being fined" as a (sub-) section title. "Legal sanctions" might be an appropriate section title. 176.11.146.26 (talk) 19:21, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Actually, "illegal activity" could include something like a breach of contract.--Jack Upland (talk) 19:32, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

Garbled text

The article states that, "Despite saying that he intended to sue both the News of the World tabloid who supposedly photographed the incident for libel, Michael stated that he cruised for anonymous sex". At least the first half of that sentence is not only ungrammatical but so garbled and confused that I am not even sure what it means. Unfortunately, the source the sentence is based upon does not appear to be available, so my preferred option would be to simply remove the confused text. FreeKnowledgeCreator (talk) 21:28, 26 December 2016 (UTC)

• See above on this page under Privacy issue?. The article had previously said that Michael said he planned to sue both the News of the World and a certain identified person, but the other person's name was removed from the sentence since my earlier post. And the text has since been revised further. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 03:06, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

The Older EP at AfD

There is an ongoing discussion about the notability of The Older EP. All are invited to participate in the discussion or help improve the article. ---Another Believer _(Talk) 00:16, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

Autopsy Ordered

The speculation should be over soon since an autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death. We should know something in a few days. [3] Police officials, who had announced that Mr. Michael died in “unexplained but not suspicious” circumstances at his home in Goring-on-Thames, England, could not be reached for further details on Monday because of Boxing Day. The singer’s manager, Michael Lippman, on Monday declined to elaborate on his statement that Mr. Michael had died of heart failure, “in bed, lying peacefully.” Forensic experts said an autopsy report could be ready in a couple of days.Octoberwoodland (talk) 01:12, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

Yog?

Ridgeley just paid tribute to him as "my beloved Yog". Huh?

Google reveals some others using the name as well. One fan site claims it's for "Yours Only, George". Hmmm. That sounds like it was kludged onto the name after the fact.

Another links it to the Greek pronunciation of his name. This sounds way more likely to me. Is Yog an established nickname for (other) Georgioses? Or was this a one-off for him specifically?

Was he commonly known by this? Ridgeley's tweet is the first I've EVER heard him called this! 209.172.23.106 (talk) 08:14, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

There was a clip of George himself yesterday, played by Paddy O'Connell in the tribute programme on the BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce show. It clarified that it was simply the family nickname used for George at home, heard by a 12-year old Andrew Ridgeley, and reported to their classmates the next day. So it was essentially a familial contraction as heard through Ridgeley's Hertfordshire ears. (It seems that, in Greek the final s on Georgios denotes the formal nominative case). He said that he was quite protective over the use of the nickname and it was meant to be used only by those close friends who had originally known him by that name. Martinevans123 (talk) 11:54, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

The Greek name "Georgios" is habitually contracted to "Yorgas" and further to "Yorg" or "Yog" by Greeks all around the world - note here the similarity in Russian "Yuriy" being the derivative of "Georgiy" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.122.43.186 (talk) 16:03, 28 December 2016 (UTC)

According to George, Andrew Ridgeley used to call him 'yogurt' at school as a joke! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.189.17.243 (talk) 18:20, 28 December 2016 (UTC)

West Country accent

I've been trying to trim out the worst trivia and fancruft from the article. Is the factoid about the accent really worth recording, User:PaleCloudedWhite? Interested to see what others think too. --John (talk) 16:44, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

As I stated in my edit summary when I restored the info, this is an indication of a damaged brain (or rather, it can result from one) and, if it persists, is a recognised rare condition. Why do you think this is trivial? Do you think he did it for a laugh? It's only one sentence in the article, not a whole paragraph. PaleCloudedWhite (talk) 16:58, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

Yes, I saw your edit summary. Is there any evidence that it did persist? Did anyone other than Michael comment on it? Depending on the answers to those questions, I reserve the right to continue to think of it as trivia. --John (talk) 17:05, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

The article supporting that info uses the accent fact as its headline, and places it higher up the page than information that Michael lost 5 weeks of his memory. If it's good enough for the Daily Telegraph, I don't see why it isn't good enough for here. It's not as if we're making it into a headline - it's only one sentence in the article. PaleCloudedWhite (talk) 17:23, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

I agree that it is unusual enough to be notable. I don't see why it should be described as "fancruft". I'd even be tempted to add Michael's own theory about becoming obsessed with BBC sitcom Nighty Night. But then I quite like factoids. Martinevans123 (talk) 17:33, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

I respect your opinions, obviously, but I am still not hearing answers to my questions. I assume the answers are "no" and "no". --John (talk) 10:07, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

You are free to consider the information trivial if you wish - that is your opinion. However, questions can be framed in many ways, and different questions produce different answers. The information that you object to is reliably sourced from an article headlined specifically on this topic, and from that we have one sentence in our article. So a different question to ask is, why are you so focussed on it as something to be removed? PaleCloudedWhite (talk) 10:35, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Because I think it is trivial. Because Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information. Because not everything ever reported about a famous person needs to be in their Wikipedia article. --John (talk) 10:45, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

If Michael himself commented, it suggests it was significant to him. I'd think a speech disorder must be quite disturbing for an internationally famous vocal artist. As PCW has pointed out, the article devotes a mere 22 words to this topic. Martinevans123 (talk) 10:48, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 December 2016

Add {{Pp-semi}} template.

--186.145.98.162 (talk) 15:11, 28 December 2016 (UTC)

Done - Mlpearc (open channel) 16:56, 28 December 2016 (UTC)

Choice of professional name

This hasn't jumped out at me so it may be mentioned somewhere in the text already, but a sentence or two about how he came to choose his professional name could be worth including if that information is available. This is Paul (talk) 16:34, 28 December 2016 (UTC)

I've seen some reports, on pop/fan sites that it may have been after an uncle Michael. But reliable sources seem to be wholly lacking. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:39, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

Jewish grandmother?

His maternal grandmother was Jewish and hid her faith from her own children to keep them safe during World War II.

Is this really germane? And what the hell does the bold bit mean? --John (talk) 10:09, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

His maternal grandmother, born Daisy Angold Young, was the daughter of Edward Reuben Young and Sarah Susannah Angold, and was not Jewish at all. Perhaps Michael thought "Angold" was a Jewish surname, although it almost always, as it is in this case, not of Jewish origin. See also this. All Hallow's Wraith (talk) 11:52, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

References

Color Photo for Lead Section

Do we have a good color photo on commons for George Michael instead of the B/W photo we are currently using? Does anyone have a preference for which photo we use. The current photo of him shirtless and B/W isn't that good. Comments? Octoberwoodland (talk) 17:52, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

The others at Commons, all colour, and just not as good a quality as this one. And it does show him performing, in 1988, at the height of his fame. Martinevans123 (talk) 18:07, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Maybe someone could ping Fadi Fawaz and ask him to upload and release a better photo an give WP permission to use it. Octoberwoodland (talk) 18:25, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Haven't exactly got him on saved contacts. Martinevans123 (talk) 18:29, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

I tried to ping him once but he said that I wasn't his type... PaleCloudedWhite (talk) 18:35, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

He has a twitter account I'll send him a ping and see if he can release a better photo for us to use. Octoberwoodland (talk) 18:59, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

If you make such a request now, please word it carefully; the man will be in grief. It might be more sensitive to wait a while. PaleCloudedWhite (talk) 19:07, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

I'd suggest not wording anything. Making a request to someone grieving is not exactly respectful is it? Regards the colour, black and white is fine (see Ali, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga etc.). Also it's a very good representation of George Michael in his prime.GaryGill (talk) 19:24, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Ok. Let's leave the photo the way it is. Octoberwoodland (talk) 19:50, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Birth name is NOT Panos

His birth name should be "Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou", not Panos. He was identified by his full name in the Beverly Hills police statement after his 1998 arrest and Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou name was used when the police officer filed suit against him. Panayiotou is aloso the name used to register his music with the United States copyright office. All sources below show his full, legal name as "Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou".

ETA: He also used Panayiotou as his surname when HE sued Sony Music back in 1994, evidenced by Wikipedia's own article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panayiotou_v_Sony_Music_Entertainment_(UK)_Ltd

http://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/case.asp?s=CA&d=22007

http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=+Panayiotou&Search_Code=NALL&PID=178dIUUHwOfpT5yM3ONJEQ5H2_3WD&SEQ=20161231012216&CNT=25&HIST=1

https://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/m/George%20Michael/george_michael.htm — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.185.208.185 (talk) 06:36, 31 December 2016 (UTC)

Police Probing Drug Overdose Theory after Autopsy

Cops to question George Michael's boyfriend over drug fears. GEORGE Michael’s boyfriend will be quizzed by detectives probing the singer’s death. ... “There’s a strong suspicion that this was drug related, so officers will be keen to ascertain who may have been supplying any drugs to George.” See [4] Octoberwoodland (talk) 03:07, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

I'm not inclined to take much notice of that particular source, although I would imagine it's pretty standard for them to investigate such things when someone has died at home alone and unexpectedly. This is Paul (talk) 14:42, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

The police will naturally want to explore all possibilities now that the post-mortem was inconclusive. Martinevans123 (talk) 14:57, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 1 January 2017

Insert hyphen here in Death Section "to long term stardom." Wlmg (talk) 14:11, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

Personally no objection to making punctuation corrections in quotes, where something is obviously wrong. But a hyphen (assume you may mean a dash?) is not used in the BBC source. So I suggest we just stick with the text like what they wrote it. Martinevans123 (talk) 14:30, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

No I did mean Hyphen and my suggested correction would be proper for American English regarding hyphenate adjectives. However, as you said it is a BBC quote and they use the Queen's English (I think?). I've run into this sort of thing before with articles written in the Queen's English. I do agree with you to leave it as it is.Wlmg (talk) 19:26, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

It just looks like standard BBC to me, and perfectly proper as written. Michael was British, so I'm not sure why we wouldn't want the entire article to be written in British English. I don't think the Queen herself intervened personally in the writing of that piece, but then she is suffering from a heavy cold at the moment, so we probably need to be patient. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 19:36, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

HA! It's like the old joke attributed to Winston Churchill, "We are one people separated by a common language".Wlmg (talk) 20:07, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

Fadi Fawaz Twitter Account Hacked/Fake News Stories

Some reports that George Michael attempted suicide were tweeted from Fadi Fawaz's twitter account. Fadi claims the account was hacked and fake tweets were posted and he subsequently deleted the account and the tweets. See [5][6][7] Octoberwoodland (talk) 20:40, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

A source quoted in the Mirror says that the singer committed suicide due to the loss of singing ability

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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See these 2 articles - if you only choose one to quote from, the first has much more information about this subject, but the 2nd has other information:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/george-michael-feared-hed-never-9543573

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/george-michael-killed-himself-christmas-9545132

For the citations:

108.30.214.13 (talk) 21:45, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

Are you proposing any change to the article content? Otherwise this looks like WP:FORUM which should be deleted. Tabloid sources are not suitable for WP:BLP. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:06, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

Fadi Fawaz has already stated that his twitter account was hacked and that these are fake news stories. Octoberwoodland (talk) 22:18, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

References

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Rehab before death

Is it true he spent two years in rehab from 2014 to 2016? (2A00:23C4:638C:4500:6051:389F:3949:8E32 (talk) 17:54, 2 January 2017 (UTC))

Surely we all secretly aspire to tears before bedtime? Martinevans123 (talk) 18:00, 2 January 2017 (UTC)