George Michael captivated millions with his chart-topping hits and powerhouse vocals, but according to his Wham! bandmate, Andrew Ridgeley, the global superstar never truly embraced life in the spotlight.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Ridgeley reflected on Michael’s complicated relationship with fame ahead of the release of the documentary “WHAM! 10 Days In China,” describing it as “an eternal conflict.”
“He didn’t want to be a star… in the sense of constantly projecting himself,” Ridgeley said. “George Michael was a character that he created in order for him to fulfill his artistic destiny as a songwriter and a singer and a musician.”
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Ridgeley continued, “But he wanted to live his life as Yog, you know, rather than as George Michael. There was always that conflict for him, and it was an eternal conflict, and one that he never fully resolved.”
Known affectionately to friends as “Yog,” Michael spent decades balancing worldwide fame with an intensely private personal life, a struggle Ridgeley believes many fans never fully understood.
“I don’t think… he was misunderstood,” Ridgeley explained. “People weren’t appraised of all the facts for a long time. You know, and he was a very, very private man.”
If there was one thing audiences underestimated, Ridgeley said, it wasn’t Michael’s personality — it was the magnitude of his talent.
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“People probably didn’t understand the depth of his talent for a long time,” he said. “That is bewildering and has always been bewildering… If there’s any misunderstanding, it was over the sheer scale of his talent.”
The reflections are featured as part of “WHAM! 10 Days In China,” a new documentary that revisits the duo’s landmark 1985 concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou, which made Wham! the first Western pop group to perform in China.
Drawing from newly restored archival footage, previously unseen material, and firsthand interviews, the movie explores the band’s groundbreaking visit while examining its cultural impact decades later.
Looking back more than 40 years after the historic performances, Ridgeley said one of the documentary’s biggest revelations was finally uncovering the lasting legacy of the trip.
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“This is a retrospective which reveals as much as we possibly could about why we went, what we did, who were there and its legacy,” Ridgeley told Fox News Digital.
“And its legacy was the most important aspect for me to try and discover because we knew nothing of it. The legacy in China remained unknown.”
Although Michael famously criticized the band’s first performance in China, Ridgeley said he wasn’t surprised by his late friend’s reaction.
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“That wouldn’t have been the first time he described a show as effing horrible,” Ridgeley said with a laugh. “He didn’t mince his words.”
“I understood perfectly well why he felt that way,” he continued. “But… in hindsight, and as we discovered as part of this film, the legacy and the impact that those shows had on some people, especially, was life-changing.”
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Michael died on Christmas Day in 2016 at age 53, but Ridgeley believes the singer would be deeply moved by the enduring admiration fans continue to show nearly a decade later.
“I think he would be very flattered by the depth of feeling that is held for him by how his memory has been honored, how his talent is recognized, how he is fêted and adored,” Ridgeley said.
“I think that that would have been very special to him, and he would have been very humbled by it.”
“WHAM! 10 Days In China” premieres in theaters for a one-day-only release on July 28.