George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with his sales estimated at between 100 and 125 million records worldwide. Michael was known as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. He achieved seven number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart and eight number-one songs.