Whamnesia! Ridgeley’s ‘rage at being forgotten from George Michael story’
WHAM! singer Andrew Ridgeley is reportedly ‘devastated’ after being airbrushed out of the history of his former pop partner George Michael.
The 1980s star is furious that he was not asked to appear in a major film about the singer, who died on Christmas Day 2016.
Together they sold 30million records between 1982 and 1986 and had five UK No1s – but the Channel 4 documentary Freedom, about Michael’s life, featured no contribution from Ridgeley.
But it did include James Corden, who once filmed a single comedy sketch with Michael, and Oasis star Liam Gallagher.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Losing George has been difficult enough for Andrew, but for the beginning of his career to be wiped like this is utterly devastating. Neither Andrew nor backing singer Shirley Kemp were invited to take part in the documentary, even though it did feature George’s time with Wham!
‘It was a really important part of George’s legacy, and the fact that the likes of Liam Gallagher were given a chance to speak over Andrew is very sad.’
Ridgeley, 55, who lives in Wadebridge, Cornwall, is also upset that he was not invited to contribute to an extended rerelease of Michael’s solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol I, while stars including Nile Rodgers and Sir Paul McCartney were, and was frustrated that his former partner’s estate did not back his bid to get a reissue of Wham’s Last Christmas to No 1.