Wham! star Ridgeley consumed by grief after George Michael’s death

FORMER WHAM! star Andrew Ridgeley has told of how he fell to his knees and “cried like I’d never cried before” after hearing the news of George Michael’s death.

Michael died on Christmas Day last year at the age of 53, and Mr Ridgeley said that he was “consumed” by his grief after losing his long-time friend and colleague.

Mr Ridgeley, inset, who scored success with hits including

Last Christmas and Wake Me

Up Before You Go-Go as a part of Wham! in the 1980s, wrote in a national newspaper that he had sent Mr Michael “a message wishing him a wonderful Christmas” just five minutes before learning of his death.

He said: “That night, after I had phoned our friends to convey the dreadful news – and despite having shed an ocean of tears already that day – the sheer eviscerating sense of loss cut my legs from beneath me and, on the deck and on my knees, I cried like I’d never cried before. Nothing had prepared me for the depth of pain George’s death precipitated.” Mr Ridgeley, 54, described the “overwhelming” shock and disbelief at losing his friend, who he befriended at school in the 1970s. He is now hoping to get their beloved festive hit Last Christmas to the Christmas number one spot this year, a feat that has so far escaped the track, which peaked at number two. He said it would be “the most fitting tribute to my dearest friend of all”.