|
               
| |
|
George's beloved mother, Lesley Angold Harrison
Panayiotou, died on February 26, 1997, of cancer. As any true fan knows, Mrs. Panayiotou
was his pillar of strength. We at Yours Only George express our most sincere condolences
to George and his family at this time.
|
 |
"It's great to be able to admire your parents and most people love
their mother and father, but there were things going on when I was growing up that I never
understood. There are things about my mum that I only realized later, things that make me
really admire her. If there's anything that I have got from her it's that she's like a
rock. I've got that stability from her." ~ George Michael, Bare,
1990 |
| "My father was the typical Greek who comes to London and works 24
hours a day, so his views were never impressed on me when I was very young. I always saw
it through my mother's eyes in terms of what I should be after, and it wasn't money."
~ George Michael, Wham! The Death of a Supergroup, 1987 |
|
|
"I'd got the singing bug when I was seven, and Mum had given me a
tape recorder as a present. As I got older, Dad was against the idea but Mum began to
realize that I might have something and started to sympathize with me." ~ George Michael, Wham!, 1985 |
| "She pretty much used to go along with my dad in that she wanted me
to get an education so that if this incredible dream I had didn't work out, I would have
something to fall back on. But she's much more musical, and by the time I started writing
songs--by the time I was about 17--she started to believe in me, musically." ~ George Michael, "Souled Out," Interview,
October 1988 |
|
|
"My mother was a woman of great compassion, and she felt much as I
do, that we were living in a world that was gradually being drained of that." "Very
soon after she died, I went into the recording studio with an artist that I very much
respect, a new artist, and I recorded a song that I hoped might help my father over the
loss of someone that he loved for 40 years."
~ George Michael, March 26, 1997 |
| "My mum died recently, and rather than let that slow me down, I've
tried to use it as inspiration in a way. She was incredibly proud of what I do. Probably,
parents are the only people who enjoy a career like mine, more than the actual person
involved. She was amazingly proud." ~ George Michael, GWR-FM
interview, May 30, 1997 |
|
| Do you have a
memory of Lesley Panayiotou? We've created a new page called A
Tribute to Lesley Panayiotou, Through the Fans' Eyes. It was inspired by a beautiful
letter we received from Donna, a fan who had met Mrs. Panayiotou. We were so touched by
the letter that we asked her if we could post it on this website. Fortunately, she agreed. |
| |
|
