2016 isn’t done taking our favorite celebrities, or so it seems. A few minutes ago it was confirmed that George Michael, the famous singer, died at his home in England this afternoon. He was 53 years old.

George Michael dies: gone is another voice of a generation

George Michael was one of the most well known voices of the 80’s generation. He started his career out as part of the group Wham!, where he immediately gained fame and rose to stardom with several number one hits. Most who lived those moments will remember George Michael’s voice on:

Wake me up, before you go-go (1984)

Careless Whisper (1984)

Faith (1987)

I want your sex (1987)

Father Figure (1988)

One more try (1988)

George Michael later moved on to produce several number one albums during the 90’s. During this time he published songs that rose to the top of the charts such as Freedom 90, Heal the Pain, Too Funky and Praying for Time. It was also during this time, in 1991, when he did his world famous duet with Elton John, Don’t let the sun go down on me.

George Michael, finding a new identity

It was in the late part of the 90s and beginning of the millenium that George Michael shifted his production to another beat. His songs, much like other artists’, became more electronic and technologically inclined. The most radical change in George Michael’s style came about in the late 90’s, when his production took on a very marked sexual innuendo. Fastlove (1996) was one of his well known songs from that era. And in 2002, he shook the foundations with his music video Freek.

Freek was enough out of line as to warrant censure and time slot bans from several TV music stations, though the audio version didn’t have as much trouble. The video marked a decidedly new style in George Michael’s music, which had always had a strong sexual component but never this strong.

What did George Michael die from?

The news of George Michael’s death is just breaking, so there’s not much detail as to what George Michael died from. His publicist confirmed that George Michael had died at his home, peacefully.

Speculation is that George Michael died from an infection, or heart related problems. In 2011 he had to cancel several concerts after being stricken with pneumonia. He recovered, and continued his tour. Later in 2013, he suffered a head injury due to a car accident, which he also recovered from.

In the 2000’s, George Michael was known to have drug problems. He was arrested on several occasions for posession of controlled substances, and driving while under the influence.

But recently, George Michael has not been known to have been suffering from any serious health complications. Last year, he was known to undergo rehab for cannabis addiction, which many doubt is related to his death now. Which makes his death all that more surprising for his fans.

We’ll have to wait, and keep updating, as the story unfolds.