Forty years ago, on June 28, 1986, Wham! performed their legendary farewell concert, The Final, at Wembley Stadium. The sold-out event drew 72,000 fans and featured guest appearances from Elton John and Simon Le Bon. The concert marked the end of a remarkable journey for George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, alongside backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie. Here's what happened to the iconic group after the music stopped.
Andrew Ridgeley: A Quiet Life Away from Fame
After Wham! disbanded, Andrew Ridgeley stepped away from pop music. He moved to Monaco to pursue Formula Three racing, then tried acting in Los Angeles. In 1990, he returned to England and released his only solo album, Son of Albert, which was not a commercial success. Reflecting on his post-Wham! life, he told the Big Issue: "I didn’t have the voice to compete with George, but that was fine. Being in a band was the full extent of my aspirations at 16 and I had realised it. I had no desires and no burning deep-held ambition to do anything else."
Andrew briefly reunited with George on stage at Rock in Rio in 1991. Although they discussed a reunion several times, it never materialised. In 2019, he published his bestselling memoir, Wham! George & Me, and made a cameo in the film Last Christmas. For the past 30 years, he has lived quietly in Wadebridge, Cornwall, enjoying golf and surfing. He told the LA Times: "I was unprepared for the consequences of fame. I resented deeply the intrusion into my personal life, being chased from restaurant to restaurant. To step away from that was a welcome sort of relief."
Following George Michael's death in 2016, Andrew delivered an emotional tribute at the 2017 Brit Awards. He told the Mirror: "When I found out [George had died] it was a moment of disbelief... It leaves a void in your life." He added, "If I could go back to any time in my life, it would probably be when Yog, Shirlie, and me were knocking around together as a very, very happy and affectionate trio."
Helen 'Pepsi' DeMacque-Crockett: From Pop to Sailing
Helen 'Pepsi' DeMacque joined Wham! as a backing singer and dancer in 1983. After the 1986 split, she and Shirlie Holliman formed the duo Pepsi & Shirlie, scoring two UK Top 10 hits: "Heartache" and "Goodbye Stranger." Pepsi recalled to the Guardian: "Shirlie had to persuade me we could make it as a duo. She said we should grab the opportunity. And she was right. Our first single was kept off the top spot by George’s duet with Aretha Franklin. But he made us feel like we were No 1."
After the duo took a hiatus in 1989, Pepsi moved to New Zealand, working in a gift shop while continuing music collaborations with electronic artist 50Hz and composer Rhian Sheehan. She also performed in musical theatre, starring in a UK tour of the Josephine Baker story and the 1993 West End revival of Hair. Following her first marriage, she relocated to St Lucia, where her parents had emigrated from in the 1950s. Today, she and her husband James Crockett run a charter sailing business, Jus Sail. In January 2025, she published her first novel, Island Song, inspired by her parents' heritage.
Pepsi remains close to Shirlie. They released a joint autobiography, Pepsi & Shirlie: It's All Black and White, in 2021. Reflecting on George's death, she told the Guardian: "When George died, Shirlie couldn’t make the call to me as she was too upset, so [her daughter] Harley did. It was a hard, hard time for all of us... To this day, I still tell her to shut up when she’s being bossy, but it’s all done with total affection. She will always be a sister to me."
Shirlie Holliman: Family, Health Battles, and Bankruptcy
Shirlie Holliman's pop career began by chance. Originally training to be a horse riding instructor, she developed hay fever and was unsure of her future. Her then-boyfriend Andrew Ridgeley convinced her to dance at a local gig with George Michael, changing her life. After Wham!, she found success with Pepsi & Shirlie but struggled with gruelling travel schedules. She began dating Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp, with George Michael famously helping to introduce them. They married in St Lucia in 1988 and had two children: Harley Moon Kemp and Capital FM star Roman Kemp.
After giving birth to Harley, Shirlie stopped performing regularly. She told the Guardian: "After I got pregnant with Harley, I thought: 'I can't do this any more.' It would have been great if I’d stuck with it and earned more money, but it wouldn’t have been a substitute for a happy childhood." In 1995, Martin was diagnosed with two brain tumours. Shirlie became his full-time carer through years of operations and radiotherapy, which left him with long-term epilepsy and dyslexia. The financial strain led to Shirlie being declared bankrupt in September 1996. She then worked behind the scenes at George Michael's record label, Aegean Records.
In recent years, Shirlie has returned to entertainment. She and Martin released a collaborative swing album in 2019 and a joint memoir in 2020. She appeared in the BBC documentary Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency, supporting her son through his depression. In January, she competed with her husband on the fourth series of The Masked Singer as "Cat & Mouse."
George Michael: Solo Stardom, Legal Battles, and Personal Turmoil
After Wham!, George Michael dominated as a solo artist. His 1987 debut duet with Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," topped charts, followed by the album Faith, which sold over 25 million copies worldwide with four number one singles. However, the 1988 world tour left him exhausted and depressed. He refused to promote his 1990 album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, even opting out of music videos. A bitter legal battle with Sony in 1992 ensued, with George claiming he had little creative control. He lost the case, stalling his career for five years.
In 1993, his partner Anselmo Feleppa died of an AIDS-related brain haemorrhage. George had not publicly come out as gay. He released the tribute "Jesus to a Child" in 1996. In 1997, his mother died, plunging him into depression. He later told GQ he contemplated suicide, crediting new partner Kenny Goss with saving his life. In April 1998, he was arrested in a Beverly Hills public toilet, prompting him to publicly declare his sexuality. His later years included a 2010 prison sentence for driving under the influence of drugs and a near-fatal pneumonia battle in 2011. He performed at the reopening of Wembley Stadium in 2006. His final live show was at Earls Court in October 2012.
George Michael died in his bed on Christmas Day 2016. A senior coroner attributed his death to natural causes: dilated cardiomyopathy myocarditis and fatty liver disease. He was laid to rest at Highgate Cemetery in north London, next to his mother. His sister Melanie, who died three years to the day after him, is buried on the other side.
