Singer George Michael Dies

George Michael, the pop singer who rose to fame as half of Wham! and went on to sell more than 100 million albums over the course of his life, has died. He was 53. The BBC reported that an ambulance was called to his home in Oxfordshire, England, just after 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

"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. "The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time.

"There will be no further comment at this stage."

There was no indication of foul play, the BBC reported.

Immediately, tributes began for a talent taken from the world far too soon.

"Heartbroken at the loss of my beloved friend," said his Wham! partner, Andrew Ridgeley. "Me, his loved ones, his friends, the world of music, the world at large. 4ever loved. A xx."

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Pantayiotou in London.

As a teenager he met Ridgeley and they started performing together - first in a ska band, The Executive - and then, in 1981, the two started Wham!

While their first album was somewhat popular, their second album, Make it Big, put them on the world map. Their mega-hit Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go reached the top of the charts in the United States and Europe.

Wham! also had hits with Last Christmas and Club Tropicana. In 1985, their ascendancy to pop stardom was cemented when they became the first Western group to perform in China.

The relationship, however, didn't last and in 1986, they split up.

The following year, Michael started his solo career, releasing a duet with Aretha Franklin, I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).

His first solo album, Faith, came soon after with hits including Faith and I Want Your Sex.

In 1998, Michael - after having been arrested in Beverly Hills for lewd conduct in a public bathroom - came out as gay.

"I have no problem with people knowing that I’m in a relationship with a man right now," he said at the time. "I have not had a relationship with a woman for almost 10 years."

He would say that being in the closet had left him feeling "fraudulent. I don’t feel any shame. I feel stupid, and I feel reckless and weak for having allowed my sexuality to be exposed this way."

Over the years, Michael had his brushes with alcohol and drug problems. In 2010, he was arrested after crashing his car into a business while high on marijuana. In 2013, he was in a car crash that required him being airlifted to a hospital with a head injury.

Michael had a brush with death five years ago. He came down with a severe case of pneumonia and doctors needed to perform a tracheotomy.

His last album, Symphonica, was released in 2014.

Photo via Yves Lorson/Wikimedia Commons