Selling more than 80 million records worldwide with a career that spanned nearly four decades, George Michael was one of the most successful musical artists in his lifetime. But while he consistently set records with his music and lit up the stage in sold-out tours, the star \u2014 who died on Christmas Day at the age of 53 \u2014 lived a complicated and often difficult life.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at the heartbreaking moments throughout Michael\u2019s life \u2014 which often inspired his musical hits \u2014 and the health issues he grappled with in the last several years.<\/p>\n
1997: Michael\u2019s Mother Lesley Dies Just Years After His Lover<\/strong><\/p>\n Michael battled depression after losing both his mother, Lesley Angold, and his lover, Anselmo Feleppa, within a few years of each other. Feleppa died from an AIDS-related illness. \u201cI struggled with huge depression after my mother died,\u201d he told The Independent<\/em>. \u201cLosing your mother and your lover in the space of three years is a tough one.\u201d<\/p>\n In a 2005 interview with The Guardian<\/em>, Michael opened up about the \u201c12 years of depression and fear and lots of other s\u2014\u201d that followed his devastating losses. Said the star: \u201cIn terms of coming close to saying I don\u2019t want to live, that would have been after my mum died. I had this overwhelming feeling that the best was behind me. I so loved my mum, and respected her. I swear to God, it was like I had a curse on me. I couldn\u2019t believe how much God was piling on at once. There was so much death around me, I can\u2019t tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n 1998: Michael Is Arrested in Beverly Hills for Lewd Behavior<\/strong><\/p>\n Michael \u2014 who ended a 13-year relationship with longtime partner Kenny Goss in 2011 \u2014 hadn\u2019t planned to reveal his sexuality the way he did. In 1998, he was arrested for \u201clewd behavior\u201d in a Beverly Hills park, and he later said he felt forced to reveal to CNN he was gay.<\/p>\n \u201cFor some strange reason, my gay life didn\u2019t get easier when I came out. Quite the opposite happened, really,\u201d he told the BBC in 2014. \u201cThe press seemed to take some delight that I previously had a \u2018straight audience,\u2019 and set about trying to destroy that. And I think some men were frustrated that their girlfriends wouldn\u2019t let go of the idea that George Michael just hadn\u2019t found the \u2018right girl\u2019 . Which is still what a lot of my extended family still think!\u201d<\/p>\n In 2007, Michael told The Independent<\/em> hiding his sexuality from the public took a deep psychological toll on him, but he did so to protect his mother. \u201cI was too immature to know I was sacrificing as much as I was,\u201d he said. \u201cSo firstly, understand how much I love my family and that AIDS was the predominant feature of being gay in the 1980s and early \u201990s as far as any parent was concerned. My mother was still alive and every single day would have been a nightmare for her thinking what I might have been subjected to.\u201d<\/p>\n 2006, 2008 and 2010: Michael Is Arrested for Drug-Related Charges<\/strong><\/p>\n In Oct. 2006, the singer was arrested on a drug-related charge and given a warning by London police for possession of cannabis. Earlier that year, he had been arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs after being found slumped over the wheel of his car. Just two months after that incident, he damaged three neighbors\u2019 cars and his own Range Rover in April. In July 2010, Michael was returning from a Gay Pride parade when he was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive after driving into a storefront; he was later charged with possession of cannabis and driving while unfit through drink or drugs.<\/p>\n After pleading guilty, Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, a fine and a five-year ban from driving. Released from jail after four months, \u201cI realized it had to be something to do with me,\u201d he said in an interview about his drug problems. \u201cIt shook me out of my denial. After that crash happened, I started drug counseling and was two weeks in detox, none of which I made public. It feels so completely behind me now. It really does.\u201d<\/p>\n