So shocked by this news...loved him to bits and had the pleasure of seeing him live, what a wonderful voice and great talent, he will be missed RIP George xxxx :(
God, 2016 has been a TERRIBLE year for celebrity deaths :eek: David Bowie, Terry Wogan, Alan Rickman (and that's only a handful!) and now George Michael!
Terribly sad news. 53 is absolutely no age in modern times.
I was just thinking about how many people in their 90s are still going strong and still working - I watched a documentary this week presented by Nicholas Parsons aged 92, travelling to and from Paris etc. at his grand old age, absolutely on the ball. And today I watched the Queen who is a better speaker and reader of autocue at 90 than at 50. There are a number of others. Yet 2016 has cut down a swathe of British icons in music, film, theatre and other fields, all gone before their time.
Awful Christmas weekend for the British music industry-first Rick Parfitt, now George Michael. Two of the legends of Live Aid, too. I went to see George on his tour in Newcastle four years ago. Shocking news. RIP George Michael.
As others have said, its no age. One of the great pop vocalists, instantly recognisable. 2016 is relentless for famous deaths, most recently Greg Lake, Rick Parfitt and now George.
Terribly sad, made me feel quite ill, for me the greatest singer live I've ever heard. Flawless and a fantastic songwriter, writing some of the most iconic songs of all time.
What a terrible day to die on. Xmas will never feel the same again.
Rumors of HIV, several recent bouts of ill health including pneumonia that nearly killed him, falling out of a car on the motorway a couple of years ago, multiple addictions. Matter of time sadly. A troubled man.
Utterly shocked and totally gutted even though he's clearly been ill for a long time. No doubt it will emerge that the ongoing speculation was correct 😞
Such a massive, massive part of my childhood - I was a Wham! girl all the way - and even made my boyfriend be quiet in the car yesterday and turned the radio up so I could listen to Last Christmas uninterrupted, which seems hugely ironic now.
An irreplaceable talent and another devastating loss to music in 2016 😢
But this one is a giant shock - mostly because of his age, but there have been vague rumours for a long time about his health. Who knows what the cause of death was, but the phrasing of 'died peacefully at home' seems to indicate a pre-existing terminal illness.
RIP George. Make It Big was the very first album I bought with my own money - I was so young, but loved his music so, so much. Such a talent, and he'll be badly missed.
Agreed although I don't think the rumours were vague......
Got to be more of a story to come here, the use of 'died peacefully' in the statement is very telling, 53 year olds don't just drop dead unexpectedly. Got to be a long term illness like AIDS or Cancer.
Yep, I know for me personally this has been one of the worst years I can remember but in general it just seems like a vicious cruel unrelenting one.
It's coincidence - I mean, millions die every day and nobody notices, but with so many celebrity deaths it does look creepy. If anything, it is a reminder of mortality (if any were needed).
I guess as these cultural touch points disappear, we should reflect on the positive lesson to be taken - focus on those we truly know and love and nurture our own talents and those of people close to us.
In the words of Dylan - the times they are a-changing.
In his heyday he helped inspire and mould a generation and was/is an absolute icon to so many who grew up in that generation ... in his latter life a troubled soul but I will always remember him as the superstar he most certainly was.
RIP George MIchael - your star will shine bright tonight.
It's coincidence - I mean, millions die every day and nobody notices, but with so many celebrity deaths it does look creepy. If anything, it is a reminder of mortality (if any were needed).
I guess as these cultural touch points disappear, we should reflect on the positive lesson to be taken - focus on those we truly know and love and nurture our own talents and those of people close to us.
In the words of Dylan - the times they are a-changing.
You say that, but our local authority has been having a absolute crisis with crematorium capacity this year. We've got an elderly population, but still. It started with a bad flu spell in January and hasn't let up.
A few towns is still anecdotal, but I'm starting to feel genuinely unsettled. :-(
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I was just thinking about how many people in their 90s are still going strong and still working - I watched a documentary this week presented by Nicholas Parsons aged 92, travelling to and from Paris etc. at his grand old age, absolutely on the ball. And today I watched the Queen who is a better speaker and reader of autocue at 90 than at 50. There are a number of others. Yet 2016 has cut down a swathe of British icons in music, film, theatre and other fields, all gone before their time.
RIP.
Indeed. Life has a cruel sense of irony.
What a terrible day to die on. Xmas will never feel the same again.
Yep, I know for me personally this has been one of the worst years I can remember but in general it just seems like a vicious cruel unrelenting one.
Rumors of HIV, several recent bouts of ill health including pneumonia that nearly killed him, falling out of a car on the motorway a couple of years ago, multiple addictions. Matter of time sadly. A troubled man.
RIP to a true legend.
Careless whisper is one of my favourite songs
Such a massive, massive part of my childhood - I was a Wham! girl all the way - and even made my boyfriend be quiet in the car yesterday and turned the radio up so I could listen to Last Christmas uninterrupted, which seems hugely ironic now.
An irreplaceable talent and another devastating loss to music in 2016 😢
Agreed although I don't think the rumours were vague......
I loved every single song on Make It Big 😌
RIP to a legendary act and an amazing voice
It's coincidence - I mean, millions die every day and nobody notices, but with so many celebrity deaths it does look creepy. If anything, it is a reminder of mortality (if any were needed).
I guess as these cultural touch points disappear, we should reflect on the positive lesson to be taken - focus on those we truly know and love and nurture our own talents and those of people close to us.
In the words of Dylan - the times they are a-changing.
This year can go and do one.
RIP George MIchael - your star will shine bright tonight.
You say that, but our local authority has been having a absolute crisis with crematorium capacity this year. We've got an elderly population, but still. It started with a bad flu spell in January and hasn't let up.
A few towns is still anecdotal, but I'm starting to feel genuinely unsettled. :-(