George Michael, the English singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame as a member of the group Wham!, has died. He was 53.

"It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period," his publicist said in a statement.

Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, he once played music on the London underground train system before forming Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981.

Michael enjoyed immense popularity early in his career as a teenybopper idol, delivering a series of hits such as "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,'' `"Young Guns (Go For It)'' and `"Freedom.''

No cause of death was revealed, but police reported that he did not die under suspicious circumstances.

Michael disclosed he was gay in 1998 after being arrested in a public toilet in Beverly Hills, California for engaging in a lewd act.
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