Wham! on Netflix: Here’s why the iconic band split up in the late 1980s

They were incredibly successful

1 year ago

Wham! is Netflix’s latest documentary that follows the highs and lows of singers George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. The documentary is set to show behind the scenes moments of the band who rose to fame in the 80s.

The friendship with George and Andrew from 1980 to 1986 is the main focus of the documentary, with director Chris Smith saying it’ll be different from previous documentaries. The doc will also pay tribute to George Michael, who died on December 25th 2016.

“Now for the very first time, told in their own words, the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs,” the synopsis for the documentary reads.

However after all the success, the band split up in 1986. But why did Wham break up? Here’s everything we know about the duo’s split.

via Netflix

Andrew Ridgeley was said to be ‘jealous’ of the attention George Michael received

Wham! were incredibly successful and their final song, The Edge of Heaven, became their fourth number one in the UK Singles Chart. The band were at the top of the world, but it reports began to claim George would attract a lot of the attention, which Andrew was to said to be jealous of.

George Michael was reportedly the ‘driving force’ behind the band splitting up

According to Smooth, George Michael was said to be the catalyst behind the band splitting up, despite never technically quitting.

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George was once quoted saying he wanted to “write more honest emotions in his records, creating songs that people could personally relate to.” One of George’s early singles was originally released as a Wham! single before being rebranded as a his solo song.

via Netflix

Wham! held a farewell concert at Wembley Stadium in June 1986

The Final was Wham!’s farewell concert. It was held at Wembley Stadium in June 1986 and a total of 72,000 people were in attendance. The concert included special guests including Elton John and Simon Le Bon.

George and Andrew still remained close friends

Despite their band’s split, George and Andrew still remained close friends, having already been friends prior to joining forces as a musical duo.

“I think it should be the most amicable split in pop history,” George Michael said, putting rumours of their alleged feud to bed. After their final show, the pair proved to their fans they were still on good terms by sharing a hug.

Why Did Wham! break up

In Andrew’s autobiography titled Wham! George & Me, Andrew sung his bandmates praises. “There was a sense that our relationship would never be the same again, no matter what happened,” he wrote.

“Life was going to be very different for us both as we went our separate ways, having spent the previous ten years together as schoolboys and then bandmates.”

Wham! is available to watch on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.