Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!, around 1984–85. Photo: Louise Palanker, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Two lads in fluoro shorts and a lot of hair product. If you watched music TV in 1984 you know exactly who we mean. George Michael had the voice. Andrew Ridgeley had the swagger, the wardrobe and the friendship that got the whole thing going in the first place.
So what happened to Andrew from Wham! once it was over? Our guide to the Wham! members covers how the band came together. This one follows Andrew, more or less in order, up to what he’s doing now.
The note that named a number one
Andrew was born on 26 January 1963 in Windlesham, Surrey, and met George at school in Bushey. Wham! was their idea together, and Andrew’s fingerprints are on more of it than people give him credit for.
On stage he was the guitarist and the grin. In the studio he co-wrote a number of the early songs with George, and his name sits alongside George’s on the writing credit for ‘Careless whisper’. George wrote most of the later hits himself, and Andrew has never pretended otherwise. But the look of the band, the attitude and a lot of the fun came from him.
Take ‘Wake me up before you go-go’. The title came from a note Andrew left. He meant to write “wake me up before you go”, wrote “up” twice by accident, and then wrote “go” twice so it would match, as the story goes. George ran with it. Released on 14 May 1984, it was Wham!’s first number one in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and it topped the chart here as well. In the video they’re wearing those oversized Katharine Hamnett “Choose life” T-shirts, which started a craze of their own.
‘Club Tropicana’, ‘Last Christmas’ and a birthday in Sydney
‘Club Tropicana’ is one Andrew co-wrote. It came out on 22 July 1983 and got to number four in the United Kingdom, although it only reached number 60 in Australia. The video was shot at Pikes Hotel in Ibiza, all pool, sunshine and cocktails, until the pair are revealed as airline pilots at the end, according to the song’s history.
‘Last Christmas’ was George’s song, but Andrew’s all over the video, shot in the Swiss ski resort of Saas-Fee. Released on 3 December 1984, it got stuck at number two in the United Kingdom behind Band Aid’s ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’. Wham! gave their royalties to Ethiopian famine relief anyway, the same cause Band Aid was raising money for.
A few weeks later they were in Australia. The Big Tour played Melbourne from 22 January 1985, then the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 26 and 27 January, tour records show. That first Sydney show was Australia Day and Andrew’s 22nd birthday.
What did Andrew Ridgeley do after Wham
Wham! signed off with The Final at Wembley Stadium on 28 June 1986, in front of 72,000 people. Andrew was 23. George went on to a huge solo career. Andrew went motor racing. He moved to Monaco and had a crack at Formula Three, then tried acting in Los Angeles, his biography notes, before coming back to Britain in 1990.
That year he released his only solo album, Son of Albert. The single ‘Shake’ reached number 58 in the United Kingdom but did better here, getting to number 16 in Australia. The album didn’t crack the UK Top 75. Andrew decided he’d had enough of the music business and stepped away from it.
Some wrote that off as a flop. We’d call it a bloke who’d done the whole pop star thing by his mid-twenties, knew it, and was happy to leave the spotlight to his best mate. Pop careers rarely end that neatly.
Where is Andrew from Wham now
He and George stayed close mates until George died on 25 December 2016, aged 53. Since then Andrew has been the one keeping the Wham! story alive. He’s 63 as of September 2026. A few of the things he’s been doing:
- In 2019 he published his memoir, Wham! George and me, and turned up in the film Last Christmas.
- Netflix’s 2023 documentary Wham!, directed by Chris Smith, was built around the scrapbooks his mum kept as the band took off. For a lot of viewers it was a reminder of how much of the early spark came from Andrew. That year he also inducted George into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- ‘Last Christmas’ finally became the UK Christmas number one in December 2023, 39 years after it came out, the Official Charts Company reported. Andrew called it “mission accomplished”.
- In May 2026 he accepted an Ivors Academy Fellowship on George’s behalf, Hello! magazine reported.
- He helped bring Wham! 10 days in China, directed by Mike Christie, to cinemas from 28 July 2026. It goes back to April 1985, when Wham! became the first Western pop group to play in China.
He also gets on the bike for charity rides now and then. For more 1980s nostalgia, try our Around the web page, or request a song. We reckon ‘Club Tropicana’ is due for another spin.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Andrew from Wham?
After Wham!’s farewell concert at Wembley Stadium on 28 June 1986, Andrew Ridgeley moved to Monaco to try Formula Three motor racing, then tried acting in Los Angeles. He released one solo album, Son of Albert, in 1990 and then stepped back from the music business.
Is Andrew from Wham still alive?
Yes. Andrew Ridgeley was born on 26 January 1963 in Windlesham, Surrey, and is alive as of September 2026, aged 63. His Wham! partner George Michael died on 25 December 2016.
What is Andrew Ridgeley doing now?
Looking after the Wham! legacy, mostly. In 2026 he accepted an Ivors Academy Fellowship on George Michael’s behalf and supported the cinema release of Wham! 10 days in China. He has also done charity cycling rides.
How did ‘Wake me up before you go-go’ get its name?
From a note Andrew left. He meant to write “wake me up before you go” but accidentally wrote “up” twice, so he added a second “go” to match. George Michael turned it into a song, and in 1984 it became Wham!’s first UK and US number one. It topped the Australian chart too.
Did Andrew Ridgeley write any Wham! songs?
Yes. He co-wrote early songs with George Michael, including ‘Club Tropicana’, and shares the credit on ‘Careless whisper’. George wrote most of the later hits on his own.
Where was the ‘Club Tropicana’ video filmed?
At Pikes Hotel in Ibiza. Directed by Duncan Gibbins, it has George and Andrew around the pool and on the beach, then turning out to be airline pilots at the end. The single came out on 22 July 1983 and reached number four in the United Kingdom.
Why wasn’t ‘Last Christmas’ a number one in 1984?
Band Aid’s ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ was in the way. ‘Last Christmas’ stalled at number two in the United Kingdom, and Wham! gave their royalties to Ethiopian famine relief, the same cause. It finally became the UK Christmas number one on 22 December 2023.
Did Wham! tour Australia?
Yes. The Big Tour reached Australia in January 1985, with shows in Melbourne from 22 January and at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 26 and 27 January. The first Sydney night fell on Andrew’s 22nd birthday.
Did Andrew Ridgeley write a book about Wham?
Yes. Wham! George and me came out in 2019 through Penguin Random House. It tells the story of his friendship with George Michael, from school in Bushey to the band’s worldwide success, from Andrew’s side.
Were you at the Entertainment Centre in January 1985, or did you own a “Choose life” T-shirt? Tell us in the comments.
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Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, music history is often based on available documentation and interpretation.
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