From the mid 1980s to early 1990s, George Michael's career was on fire. But for most of the last decade, time would bring him devastating personal blows forcing him into a life of reclusion. The death of his lover of two years, Brazilian clothing designer Anselmo Feleppa, tore him apart. Shortly after, George entered a bitter legal battle with his record company Sony that he eventually lost. In 1997, George was dealt another heart-wrenching blow—his beloved mother died of cancer. After another bombshell, his arrest in 1998 for engaging in "lewd acts" in a Beverly Hills public restroom with a man who happened to be an undercover police officer, George decided to leave his public life behind. Now, George's back with a new album, Patience and boy, are we glad about it!

"These things in my personal life, and the time it took me to write again are really the reasons I haven't been around," George says. "I really just wanted to explain [to my fans] why I haven't been here, and to let them know it wasn't that I didn't care, but I didn't have the emotional energy to face what would have been an uphill struggle [in America] at the time."

At the time of his eighties and nineties success, George publicly dated women, but refused to discuss his love life in the press. What the world didn't know was that George had found love at age 27 with a man named Anselmo Feleppa, a Brazilian clothing designer. Sadly, two years into their relationship, Anselmo died of a brain hemorrhage. After his death, George finally came out to his family.

"The way my image changed in Europe was that I looked very different, I had very short hair—I had really a kind of gay look in a way. I think I was trying to tell people I was okay with it, I just really didn't want to share it with journalists. The album I made in the middle nineties called Older was a tribute to Anselmo, really; there was a dedication to him on the album and fairly obvious male references. To my fans and the people that were really listening, I felt like I was trying to come out with them."
 

Three years after Anselmo's death, George met his current partner of eight years, Kenny. Unfortunately, in the same phone call to his mother to tell her about the wonderful man he had met, George found out his mother had cancer.

It wasn't until George's arrest for the restroom incident that he was forced to admit the truth about his sexuality to the world. After his arrest, George viewed it as almost a blessing in disguise.

"Part of me was very scared," he says. "I remember sitting there thinking, 'Well, I just have to tell the truth about this.'… I suppose part of my subconscious was saying, 'Well, this is kind of what I was looking for, now I have to deal with it.' … There is something about the fact that it was opposite the Beverly Hills Hotel that indicates I was trying to do it in a "showbiz" manner! … I think part of me was almost ready to deal with it in whatever way it was going to happen. In comparison with the two bereavements that I'd been through before that [deaths of Anselmo and his mother], which were incredibly hellish, it seemed really trivial. I knew it was a massive, very amusing story. It was only about a day until I saw the funny side of it."

About six months after the arrest, George plummeted into depression. He discovered through therapy that he never had finished grieving for his mother.

"I have some feeling that maybe everything that happened was my way of trying to avoid that—make my life about me, not about missing her," George explains. "I hadn't allowed myself time to grieve properly, I only told myself I had."

With his new album Patience, George will be tackling America as an openly gay artist. He is not worried about any backlash that may result.

"I have to be totally straightforward here," George says. "I'm not really interested in selling records to people who are homophobic. I'm a very lucky man. I live with a man I love dearly [together eight years with partner Kenny]. I have more love, success and security in my life than I could ever have dreamed of, so really I don't need the approval of people who don't approve of me. If my audience is smaller, which I presume it is in this country because of that, then that's a consequence of my sexuality in this culture, and there's nothing I can do about that."

Patience is receiving critical acclaim, and George seems set for a career comeback.

"I have no idea what kind of comeback is possible," he says. "… Now I feel great again and my writing ability is back. I want to touch base with [my fans] again and tell them I'm still here."

George describes the songs on Patience as half about the world today, and half about his personal life.

George wows the crowd with his new song, "Amazing," written for his partner, Kenny.

George Michael is back!

"I was so relieved to have the gift [to write back]. As far as I'm concerned, God gave me my ball back. I don't remember kicking it over the fence, but I have it back!"

 

George Michael and his partner Kenny Goss live in a gorgeous 16th century house about an hour outside of London. Located on the Thames River, it's a beautiful property with a gorgeous garden.

"It's not exactly spacious, but it's my dear, beautiful house," says George. "Of course, it has really low ceilings because people were so short in those days. This is about as English and as historic as you can get!"

The perfect place for a little "r and r"—the reading nook. "I tend to sit and work on the computer from here," says George.

Next up, George shows off the library. "It wasn't here when we bought [the house], but I think every house should have a library," he says. "I'd love to tell you that all the books in this library were Shakespeare or Wordsworth, but most of them are just antique books that we bought in bulk. But I think they're just beautiful, so they're kind of furniture rather than cultural input."

George and Kenny's kitchen is small, but warm and inviting

The kitchen is modern, but it has some vintage touches like an Aga cooker. "It's an essential ingredient to any British, old-fashioned kitchen—and for people like me and Kenny who indeed are extremely absent-minded," explains George. "The great thing about this is you can stick something in there, like a chicken or whatever, and if you forget that it 's there, you're not gonna burn the house down; you just get a lump of coal for dinner!"

George and Kenny's garden is next to a beautiful 10th century church. Along with a gorgeous garden, their backyard sports a swimming pool and pool house "It's actually lovely to come out here on a summer's evening when it's light, about ten o'clock, and just sit here with all the doors open. It's wonderful," says George

For George's 40th birthday, Kenny gave him this sundial, which also acts as a compass. It points to the cities where they own other homes.

Here are George and Kenny's "children," two labradors named Abby and Meg, who also like to take a swim in the backyard pool

At the end of the tour, George had a personal message to Oprah:

"So Oprah, this is my home. This is where I live. I don't know when you're next going to be in Britain, but if you fancy popping by and seeing what it's like staying in a 16th century British home, feel free. So see you then. Bye!

The end.

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