Andrew Ridgeley to remember George Michael in memoir – Music News

Andrew Ridgeley is to open up about his life alongside former [Wham!} bandmate George Michael in a new memoir.

The book, titled Wham! George & Me, will follow the duo’s rise from being high school pals in Hertfordshire, England, to becoming one of the world’s biggest pop acts, detailing a lifelong friendship sadly ended by George’s death aged just 53, in 2016.

Andrew’s autobiography will be published in October (19) by Michael Joseph, an imprint of publishing firm Penguin Random House, whose Managing Director, Louise Brown, expressed excitement at acquiring the rights to the Last Christmas singer’s life story.

“Andrew is the only man who can tell this story,” she gushed in a press release. “It’s a memoir of love, friendship and music. When I first heard about this, I just wanted to publish this book and bring the story to all those millions of fans. It’s a delight and a privilege to work with Andrew and we are incredibly excited about publication.”

Wham! George & Me will apparently detail the, “scrapes, the laughs, the relationships, the good and the bad,” both had before the group broke up in 1986 and George embarked on a successful solo career.

The 56-year-old’s bandmate tragically passed away on Christmas Day 2016, and his death was later ruled to be due to heart disease and a build-up of fat in his liver.

Describing his pain at the loss of George in an article in Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper, Andrew wrote how the news had left him distraught.

He explained: “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.”