George Michael
Mark III Photonics / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou
Date of Birth: 25 June, 1963
Place of Birth: Hendon, Middlesex, England, U.K.
Date of Death: 25 December, 2016
Place of Death: Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, U.K.
Ethnicity:
*father – Greek Cypriot
*mother – English
George Michael was a British singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist. He was a member of pop duo Wham!, with Andrew Ridgeley.
His father, Kyriacos “Jack” Panayiotou, was a Greek Cypriot, and restaurateur. His mother, Lesley Angold (Harrison), was of English descent. He was raised in Kingsbury, London, and Radlett.
There have been various claims on the internet, some perhaps originating with George Michael himself, that George’s maternal grandmother was Jewish. These claims are not accurate. George’s maternal grandmother was of non-Jewish English ancestry.
George’s maternal grandfather was George James Harrison (the son of George Albert Harrison and Amy Major). George’s grandfather George was born in Greenwich, London, England. George’s great-grandfather George was the son of George Harrison and Eliza Blacket. Amy was the daughter of Charles Christopher Major and Sarah Richards.
George’s maternal grandmother was Daisy Angold Young (the daughter of Edward Reuben Young and Sarah Susannah Angold). Daisy was born in West Ham, Essex, England. Edward was the son of Foster Young and Mary Ann/Anne Appleby. Sarah was the daughter of Henry Angold and Catharine/Catherine Clarke; Catharine was born, c. 1828, in Hackney, Middlesex, England, the daughter of Thomas Clarke and Elizabeth Ann.
Sources: Family history of George Michael (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://web.archive.org
Genealogies of George Michael (focusing on his mother’s side) – http://www.geni.com
https://web.archive.org
https://www.findagrave.com
It appears that when the URL is changed, the “shares” disappear.
I forgot to mention. Both Greeks and Cypriots are Greek orthodox Christians.
Cypriots are Greek. Different constitutions but same people, same language, same religion, same traditions. Like mother and kid.
History (source: Wikipedia so some bits may be a bit innacurate): ‘Settled by Mycenean Greeks in the 2nd millennium BC, the island also experienced long periods of Greek rule under the Ptolemies and the Byzantines (Greeks). In 333 B.C., Alexander of Macedon conquered the island from the Persians. The Ottoman Empire conquered the island in 1571 and it remained under Ottoman control for over three centuries. It was placed under British administration in 1878 until it was granted independence in 1960, becoming a member of the Commonwealth the following year. In 1974, following 11 years of intercommunal violence and an attempted coup d’état by Greek Cypriot nationalists,Turkey invaded and occupied the northern portion of the island. The intercommunal violence and subsequent Turkish invasion led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Cypriots and the establishment of a separate Turkish Cypriot political entity in the north. The Turkish-controlled area in the north,called itself the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’which is NOT recognised by any country worldwide apart from Turkey.
It worths mentioning that famous singers (e.g. Jennifer Lopez) cancelled their shows in the Turkish-invaded part as soon as they got informed that this part is not recognised by any country in the world (except Turkey of course). So, yes George Michael is Cypriot (Greek Cypriot)
True, but even by your own accounts, Greeks and Greek Cypriots are separated by thousands of years, long enough to develop their own unique genetic patterns etc.
“Georgios” and “Kypriakos Hadjioannou”: Guys, you are confusing geographical denominations with ethnic ones and ethnicity with nationality. Tricky differences those.
George Michael is CYPRIOT not Greek. Being Cypriot, that means he is MIDDLE EASTERN. Cyprus is geographically found in the Middle East. And he looks far more Middle Eastern than anything else…
Cypriots are ethnically Greek but yes, they do share similarities with Levantines