George Michael, the late British musician, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. This was the first year he was eligible for induction, as per the Hall of Fame’s rules, which require artists to have released their first record 25 years prior.

Michael was known for his extraordinary talent as a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. He formed the pop duo Wham! with schoolmate Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. They achieved teen idol status with hits like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and the timeless holiday megahit “Last Christmas”. Michael’s first foray into the solo spotlight with the introspective hits “Careless Whisper” and “A Different Corner” eventually spelled the end of the group in 1986.

After the global pop success of Wham!, Michael scored a hit duet with Aretha Franklin called “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me” and released his self-produced solo debut, Faith. With well-crafted hooks, mature lyrics, and funk and Motown influences, Faith was a Number One smash boasting four hit singles, including the title track and “Father Figure”. It was the first album by a white solo artist to lead Billboard’s Top Black Albums chart and remains one of the best-selling LPs of all time.

Michael’s second solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990), was also a number one in the UK and yielded the Billboard Hot 100 number one “Praying for Time” and the worldwide hit “Freedom! '90”. He went on to release a series of multimillion-selling albums, including Older (1996), Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (1998), Songs from the Last Century (1999), Patience (2004), and Twenty Five (2006).

Michael won numerous music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. He was listed among Billboard’s “Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time” and Rolling Stone’s “200 Greatest Singers of All Time”. The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004.

Michael died on December 25th, 2016 at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England at age of 53 due to heart failure.

George Michael’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a testament to his immense talent as an artist. His music continues to inspire generations of fans worldwide.