George Michael was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame by his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley on Friday (November 3).
The late pop icon – who shot to fame as one-half of the pop duo before launching a global, chart-topping solo career, was honoured by the prestigious institution nearly seven years after his death at age 53, with childhood friend and longtime collaborator Ridgeley on hand to celebrate George as “one of the greatest singers of our time”.
“It is especially meaningful and a source of great pride to have the honour of inducting the dearest friend I ever had into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” he began. “George Michael would have been delighted and flattered at his inclusion into these hallowed grounds. He placed great importance on the recognition of his work and his talent by his peers and his public. It affirmed his belief in that which made him the artist and the person he was.
“George and I grew up together in an exceptional friendship. It was everlast. Our youth was lived in each other’s pockets as good as brothers. And along the way from school boys to adults, we achieved as Wham! our burning boyhood ambition,” he continued.
“Wham! was the realisation of everything I had ever aspired to and the realisation for George that stretching before him along a gilded and infinite path lay his destiny.”
Listing a selection of the singer and songwriter’s achievements, including 155 million records sold and duets with Elton John, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, he added: “George was one of the greatest singers of our time.
“His voice was sublime. It expressed both strength and vulnerability, qualities that resonate throughout his outstanding songwriting. It was the expression of his soul that made harmony with raw, unfettered emotion. It had the power to send one soaring with its joy and to make one weak with its pain.”
Ridgeley introduced a pre-recorded tribute that placed focus on George’s impact both musically and on the LGBTQ+ community, in which various stars honoured the late musician.
“His voice to me was always very soulful and sultry and urgent,” said Mary J. Blige, who collaborated with Michael on 1999’s As. “He had all these things in his voice that made us want to listen to him. At the same time, all of his emotional truth made us love him.”
Sam Smith also reflected on his impact, adding: “I would not be here today as an artist if it wasn’t for George Michael. He pushed out the gates for all of us to walk through and be ourselves.”
At the end of the video, George was heard saying: “Most of us want to leave something, want to have something that will be remembered. I want to leave songs. I believe I can leave songs that will mean something to other generations.”
