1980年代にポップデュオワム！のメンバーとして活躍し“Last Christmas”などのヒット曲を世に送り出したジョージ・マイケルが現地時間12月25日に亡くなったことが発表された。

広報担当者は「安らかに自宅で亡くなった」と発表、現地警察も疑わしい状況はなかったと発表している。ジョージ・マイケルの訃報に接して、オアシスのリアム・ギャラガー、クイーンのブライアン・メイなどのアーティストたちもTwitterやInstagramなどのSNSでコメントしている。

リアム・ギャラガー（元オアシス）

@liamgallagher Twitteより

「ジョージ・マイケルについて本当じゃなければいいのに」

ブライアン・メイ（クイーン）

No words. RIP George. Bri

Brian Harold Mayさん(@brianmayforreal)が投稿した写真 –

@brianmayforreal Instagramより

「言葉にできないよ。ジョージ・マイケル安らかに。」

ゲイリー・ニューマン

@numanofficial Twitterより

「まさか。ジョージ・マイケル安らかに。」

マークロンソン

i bought Listen Without Prejudice the day it came out, which happened to be my 15th birthday. even when i put it on now, hearing the opening chords of “praying for time”—the opening tune, i can picture the exact shade of yellow paint that covered my teenage bedroom. it all comes back to me in pure technicolour. that’s how much of a mark that song left on me. i had never heard a musical language quite like that before. later, when i discovered the 70’s masterworks of Stevie Wonder, i started to understood where George got it from. but at that point, to my naive musical knowledge, it blew the doors open. it prepared me for Stevie in a way. later on, as a DJ in hip-hop clubs in New York City in the late 90’s, George/Wham’s “Everything She Wants” was one of maybe three or four tunes by white artists that you could follow MJ, Frankie Beverly or Roy Ayers with. the keyboard lick from “Father Figure” comprised the bones for the Jungle Bros.’ classic, underground club destroyer “J Beez Comin’ Through”. So while “Faith” and the like made George a global phenom, another side of his genius as singer, writer, producer and arranger made him a bonafide giant of soul music. as did most soul afficionados, George had a huge affinity for the music of Amy Winehouse. i imagine  he felt more than a little kindred spiritness to some of the personal stuff too. Anyway, as a result of my ties to Amy, he called me once. i was on holiday exactly around this time 9 years ago. he told me he had a few soulful tunes left off of Faith that he never got to finish and asked if i would be interested in working on them. i remember one of the songs was absolutely flooring, as good as any pop/soul ballad of the era. i said of course i would be interested—all the while in complete disbelief that i was actually on the phone with GEORGE MICHAEL. i don’t know why, for some reason it never materialized. i hope one day i might get to, but i really dreamed of being in the room with him while i did. this is a tough day in a brutal year. but i'm so grateful for what he left us xxx

Mark Ronsonさん(@iammarkronson)が投稿した写真 –

@iammarkronson Instagramより

アンドリュー・リッジリー（ワム！）

@ajridgeley Twitterより

「最愛の友人を亡くして悲しいよ。」

Wham! – Last Christmas