2016 has been a very tough year for losses within the music community and now comes the very sad news that on Christmas day, U.K. artist George Michael passed away at the age of 53. Michael’s manager, Michael Lippman, has said the singer passed away from heart failure and his death is not being treated suspiciously.
Born in London, Michael through his music was long associated with the fashion community, a relationship that was fostered in part by his own reluctance to be the face of his music after the crushing fame he experienced as part of Wham!
As a member of Wham! (1981-1986), Michael and Andrew Ridgeley brought to the forefront the concept of message t-shirts when they wore designer U.K. fashion designer Katherine Hammet’s over-sized white tee-shirts featuring the phrase “Choose Life” in his “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” video.
Michael’s affair with fashion continued with Faith, his 1987 debut album as a solo artist. In the video for the single “Faith,” he wore a BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) leather jacket accessorized with pearls that included the hand painted words “Rockers” and “Revenge” on its back. The jacket became an object of obsession for Michael’s fans and to this day, there are replica versions available for purchase.
Michael’s video for “Freedom,” released in 1990, stamped as forever iconic its star models Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz.
Michael cast the video with fashion models as a way to comment on the physical scrutiny that comes with musical fame,combined with a decision to step out of the limelight, including appearances in his own videos.
Furthering the message, Michael’s famous leather jacket worn during the “Faith” video and during his tour in support of the album was torched in the video. (In reality the jacket didn’t go up in flames and according to a Michael fan site was sold in 2012 to raise money for a charity.)
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times in 1990 for which he refused to have his image taken, Michael said, “At some point in your career, the situation between yourself and the camera reverses. For a certain number of years, you court it and you need it, but ultimately, it needs you more, and it’s a bit like a relationship. The minute that happens, it turns you off.”
What would go down in history as an all-time great fashion-themed video, Versace designer Gianni Versace was so inspired by “Freedom” that he recreated on a 1991 runway in which Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford & Christy Turlington lip-synched the song to close the song.
George Michael followed up on “Freedom” in 1992 with “Too Funky,” another fashion infused video that features Michael who plays the role of a director filming models walking the runway. Wearing fashion designed by Thierry Mugler, super model Linda Evangelista made an encore performance, along with Eva Herzigova, Nadja Auermann, Emma Sjöberg, Estelle Hallyday, Shana Zadrick, Tyra Banks, Beverly Peele, and Emma Balfour. There were also cameos by then popular New York nightlife impresarios Joes Arias and Lypsinka.
Even later in his career, Michael retained his link with fashion’s greatest models, tapping Kate Moss for his video for the single “White Light.” The song was inspired by a brush he had with death in 2011 when he came down with pneumonia.
