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Michael: "I spent the first half of my career being accused of being gay when I hadn't had anything like a gay relationship"
British singer, who died Sunday, said his music was always truthful and open
(CNN) —
When George Michael came out as a gay man in an exclusive interview with CNN in April 1998, public attitudes about homosexuality were far different from how they are today.
Same-sex marriage was illegal, violence against gays or lesbians was not classified as a hate crime, and HIV and AIDS still carried a heavy stigma.
In that climate nearly 20 years ago, the British music superstar appeared on CNN and went public with his sexual orientation.
Michael, then 34, told CNN’s Jim Moret that he did not have his first gay relationship until he was 27 and that he had decided to keep his sexuality private because of the way he was publicly scrutinized earlier in his career.
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British pop star George Michael died on Sunday, December 25, 2016. The musician, who shot to fame with the 1980s duo Wham!, was 53 years old.
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Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael of Wham! perform on stage in 1985. The duo met at Bushey Meads School, in 1976, according to Michael's website.
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George Michael of Wham! performs at the Live Aid concert in London in 1985.
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Michael and Ridgeley pose for a photo at the Great Wall of China in 1985, during Wham!'s historic visit as the first-ever Western pop band to perform in the communist country.
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Michael blow-dries his hair while on Wham!'s 1985 world tour. The band made stops in the UK, Japan, Australia, and China.
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Michael accepts Wham!'s award for favorite pop/rock band group at the American Music Awards in January 1986.
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Wham! performs its final show in front of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium on June 28, 1986. Michael later went on to have a successful solo career.
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Michael performs during his "Faith World Tour," his first as a solo artist, in 1988.
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Michael at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.
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George Michael, left, and Paul McCartney perform together at the "Live 8 London" concert on July 2, 2005 in London.
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George Michael, left, with his partner Kenny Goss at a reception after the Japan premiere of his autobiographical movie "George Michael: A Different Story," in December 2005. In 1998, Michael told CNN in an exclusive interview that he was gay.
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Singer George Michael, center, is surrounded by press and police on August 24, 2010 in London, after leaving a courthouse. Michael pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and possessing cannabis after he crashed his car into a photo processing shop in London the month before.
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Michael gives a press conference announcing details for a new tour on May 11, 2011, at The Royal Opera House in London.
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Michael performs at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.
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Michael performs at a concert to raise money for AIDS charity Sidaction in Paris on September 9, 2012. He was considered by many a champion of the gay-rights movement.
“I spent the first half of my career being accused of being gay when I hadn’t had anything like a gay relationship,” Michael said in the interview. “So I spent my years growing up being told what my sexuality was really … which was kind of confusing.”
The interview was significant for another reason: It was the first Michael had given since his highly publicized arrest for soliciting sex from an undercover officer in a public restroom in California three days earlier. Although the singer pleaded guilty to engaging in a lewd act in public, he contended he was a victim of entrapment.
Michael told CNN that by the time he realized he was gay and stopped having relationships with women, he was so angry at the way he had been publicly treated that he decided to keep his sexuality to himself. After his arrest in California, he said that the timing of the CNN interview was “a good of a time as any” to come out.
Michael, who died Sunday at 53, stressed that he had always been truthful and open about his personal life through his music. He said his earlier songs about women were truly about relationships he had with women.
His newer work, referencing relationships with men, reflected the changes in his personal life.
“In terms of my work – I’ve never been reticent in terms of defining my sexuality. I write about my life,” he said.
Over time Michael became one of the world’s most recognized gay-rights activists. Shortly after the CNN interview, he hosted the AIDS documentary “Staying Alive,” which followed the experiences of young people living with HIV or AIDS around the world.
In 1992, when Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died of AIDS, Michael performed at a tribute concert with David Bowie and Elton John.
For the remainder of his career, Michael supported AIDS research and education, women’s and children’s organizations and groups working to end world famine.
CNN’s Mark LeBien contributed to this story.
