George Michael: Outed, a two-part documentary which aired this week on Channel 4, explores how the superstar bravely defended his sexuality and became a gay icon.
The series features never-before-heard audio of George and interviews with his friends and family, including his former partner Kenny Goss, and cousin Andros Georgiou.
George was arrested in 1998 for a lewd act in a LA public toilet.
The documentary tells the story of “how a potentially career-crushing event became a defining moment for gay liberation.”
The singer stood up to the press and told CNN in 1998: “I’m a very proud man. I want people to know that I have not been exposed as a gay man. I feel stupid and I feel reckless and weak for having allowed my sexuality to be exposed this way, but I don’t feel any shame whatsoever. And neither do I think I should.”
The same year, he released the hit song Outside which satirised his arrest and had a video set in a men’s toilet with George dressed as an LAPD police officer.
The Wham! Star died on Christmas Day in 2016, aged 53. This summer, George Michael fans are expected to celebrate what would have been his 60th birthday.