Where Wham! pop stars are now – Tragic death, famous children and career U-turn

It’s that time of year when everywhere you go, the sounds of George Michael and Wham’s Last Christmas can be heard on the radio.

Whether you like it or loathe it, it has become of the most iconic Christmas records of all time, and celebrates its 37th anniversary on December 3 1984.

It is one of the biggest hits never to reach number one, having been beaten to the top spot by Band Aid, which George Michael also sang lead vocals on – so he was at one point, at both number one and number two in the charts.

From there, Wham continued to become one of the biggest bands on the planet, before splitting in 1986, and Daily Star has taken a look at where the group members are now.

George Michael

George Michael became one of the eighties’ biggest heartthrobs after Wham launched onto the music scene in 1982, before embarking on a hugely successful solo career.

Following the release of songs including Careless Whisper and the chart topping album Faith, George became one of the world’s biggest stars, collaborating with artists including Aretha Franklin and Mary J Blige.

His performance of Somebody to Love at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992 at Wembley Stadium is also considered to be one of the greatest of all time, with the audio regularly played on the radio and rehearsals for the performance featured in the 2021 documentary Freddie Mercury: The Final Chapter.

During his career he won three BRIT awards and two Grammys, as well as scoring seven UK number one singles with songs including Fast Love.

In 1998, George disclosed publicly that he was gay and the singer was then in a long term relationship with Kenny Goss for 13 years, before dating Fadi Fawaz.

In 2016, tributes poured in from across the world after George died suddenly from heart failure on Christmas Day at the age of 53 at his home in Oxfordshire.

Following his death, stars paid tribute to George on social media, with his Wham bandmate and close friend Andrew Ridgeley saying: “Heartbroken at the loss of my beloved friend”.

“Me, his loved ones, his friends, the world of music, the world at large. 4ever loved. A xx”

Elton John, who collaborated with George Michael on the song, Don’t let the sun go down on me, posted on Instagram: “I am in deep shock. I have lost a beloved friend – the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family and all of his fans.”

Andrew Ridgeley

Andrew Ridgeley formed Wham with school friend George Michael and in his 2019 autobiography, George and Me, he discussed their close friendship and his dreams of always wanting to be a popstar.

After Wham broke up, Andrew embarked on a solo career and released the album Son of Albert in 1990, featuring songs including Shake and Red Dress.

However, the album didn’t reach the top of the charts and was widely panned by critics.

Since then Andrew has had a number of career moves, including taking part in Formula Three motor racing and acting.

He now focuses on charity work and even made a cameo appearence in the 2019 film Last Christmas, featuring Wham’s music.

In his personal life, Andrew also dated fellow pop star Keren Woodward from the group Bananarama for over 25 years, before they split in 2017.

Following George Michael’s death, Andrew made an emotional appearance with Pepsi and Shirley at the 2017 Brit Awards, paying tribute to the late star.

Speaking to The Express about George’s death, Andrew said: “It was an absolute shock. It was unbelievable.”

He added: “I like to remember him, the kid, the friend, the friends we always were. It is a far better thing to remember everything that he gave to us and the man he was at his pomp.”

Shirley Kemp

Shirley Kemp met George Michael through Andrew Ridgley and after being invited to dance onstage with them during one of their early performances, she joined the group.

After Wham, she also released a chart topping album with band member Pepsi, called All Right Now in 1987.

Since then, the duo have performed backing vocals for Geri Halliwell’s song Bag it up, and also performed onstage together for the Here and Now tour in 2011.

She isn’t the only pop royalty in her family though, as her husband in non-other than actor and Spandau Ballet guitarist Martin Kemp.

The couple married in 1988 and have two children together, Harley, who is a photographer and director, and Roman.

Roman Kemp has become a star in his own right, hosting a radio show on Capital FM, taking part in I’m a Celebrity…Get me Out of Here in 2019 and modelling for brands including Top Shop.

He also fronted the 2021 BBC documentary Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency, about male mental health.

Earlier in the month, Shirley revealed that she and Martin have taken on a huge restoration project and moved to a Victorian house, and regularly share updates on their progress on social media.

In a post on social media, Shirley explained why the couple had moved, saying: “I was also looking for a bigger garden as eventually I’d like to rescue more dogs and a few other animals and needed more space.

“As I said before, I have never been afraid of change, in fact I welcome it.”

Pepsi DeMacque

Pepsi DeMacque joined Wham! after band member DC Lee left in the early eighties, and when the group split up, she and Shirley had huge chart success as a duo with hits including Heartache.

She has also worked with some of the biggest stars in music history, including Mike Oldfield on Tubular Bells III Live in 1999.

However, it is reported that she has since changed careers and after living with her husband James Crockett in Norwich for a brief period of time, they now run a sailing company in St.Lucia in the West Indies.

In 2021, she and Shirley Kemp released a joint autobiography, and speaking to the press to promote the book, Pepsi said: “I’m quite emotional actually. I’ve been walking into the hotel foyer and every time one of George’s songs comes on.

“I think he’s got his fairy dust on our book, wishing us well.”

She added: “I feel really proud of the fact I can look back on so many fond memories. It’s tainted with sadness, but that’s life.”

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk