Oh no - now George Michael

[Kaz]

He gave very generously to charity, there are lots of stories of his (unpublicised) kindness coming out today, and it is Christmas. Perhaps this is one of those times when if you have nothing good to say, you shouldn't say anything.

[TheOstrich]

I didn't find much appeal in his music, personally, (but don't forget I'm an older generation than a lot of you whippersnappers ), and I know he had his demons, but I do think he was a very intelligent and rather likeable guy. And 53 is no age ...

[Workingman]

Sorry, Kaz and others, but Christmas has nothing to do with it.

We won't fall out about this, and hopefully never will, but we all had negative opinions about Jimmy Savile, and many of us on VV freely expressed them even though he was dead.

Just as we did with Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall and Max Clifford.

OK, the last three are not dead, yet, but will we be praising them from the rafters once they go. I think not.

But that is what we are doing with George Michael. It sits ill with me and I do not like it.

I'm out.

[miasmum]

Frank, I'm a little puzzled. When Rick Parfitt died you said RIP Rick and thanks for the three chord trick. I presume you have no such dislike of Rick as you do George Michael

Yet this is a man who freely admits to spending £1000 per week on cocaine, £500 on vodka, and had women galore. Basically, in your words a drunk, a druggie and a sexual predator. Ok I have thought about this and maybe not a predator, but certainly hedonistic with no thought of his wife or partner at home, as he freely admits. And many of the groups of this era had their roadies find girls and bring them back to their rooms, I'd call that pretty predatory to be honest.

So what's the difference my friend?

[Workingman]

Shell, Rick P never hid his life, he was upfront about it: always. He did drugs, drank and was into women. Normal.

Want to know about G M's time in Berghain in Berlin, a nightclub with a 'basement' hosting exotic parties. He spent over two years there where he never saw daylight, lived on vodka, poppers, red bull and the semen he drank from 'giving head'. He even boasted about it.

He's gone now and I am not going celebrate his passing. If that offends some of you I can live with it.

[Osc]

As some of you will know, my eldest brother was gay, and he died from an AIDS-related cancer in 1992. At that time, he and his partner of almost 30 years were living in London. Obviously one of them must have been unfaithful and I always suspected that my brother contracted the HIV virus during a business visit to New York in the 80s when there was little knowledge about HIV/AIDS. But you know, he was my brother and I loved him regardless.

George was a generous donor to London Lighthouse and the Terrence Higgins Trust, both of whom were so helpful and supportive to my brother and his partner when N was ill - at that time, we could not even tell people here in Ireland what my brother died of as there was such a stigma attached, and we had no such organisations here. George Michael did real good in his life, but quietly, and deserves appreciation for that plus his talent. I'm sorry this is such a rambling post, but to compare him with those others is not nice at all.

What George did in his rather unsavoury lifestyle harmed only himself. You don't have to agree with it to appreciate his wonderful talent. As for the other people you mention, WM, he had more talent in his little finger than any of them and we will certainly will not be lauding any of them when they die.

[Kaz]

Well said Osc! Those other men were abusers of children, anything George did was with consenting adults and to compare him with the likes of Saville is way off.

Frank you can have any opinion you like, it's a free country, but don' t get upset when many of us don't share it

[Gal]

What George did in his rather unsavoury lifestyle harmed only himself. You don't have to agree with it to appreciate his wonderful talent. As for the other people you mention, WM, he had more talent in his little finger than any of them and we will certainly will not be lauding any of them when they die.

Well said Osc!!

Whatever went on in GM's private life had nothing whatever to do with his public talent, and it is for that that we mourn him. You don't have to if you don't want to but it would be better not to speak ill of the dead, or so I was taught.