English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer Andrew John Ridgeley was born on January 26, 1963. His association with the band Wham! He became most well-known throughout the 1980s. In Windlesham, Surrey, England, parents Jennifer John and Alberto Mario Zacharia welcomed Ridgeley into the world. Ridgeley thereafter took on the name.
His mother had English and Scottish lineage, while his father had blood from Italy and Egypt. Ridgeley grew raised in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and went to Bushey Meads School.
His mother taught at Bushey Heath Primary School while his father was an employee at Canon. Ridgeley offered to mentor George Michael as soon as he entered school.
After years of playing in several musical bands, most notably the Executive, Michael and Ridgeley formed the duet Wham! in 1981. Michael was the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and keyboard player, while Ridgeley contributed to songwriting, played the guitar, and sang backing vocals.
Before signing a deal with Innervision Records, which is distributed by CBS Records, they sent a homemade demo tape to a number of record labels. The recording was done in Ridgeley’s living room in about ten minutes. After putting out a single album, the band joined forces with Epic Records/CBS.
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Career in Wham!
Wham!’s remarkable success between 1982 and 1986 allowed them to sell more than 35 million records globally. When they made their American debut on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, they became the first British band from the 1980s to have three No. 1 singles on both the British and American charts.
When Wham! had two U.K. No. 1 songs on the charts in 1984, they faced off against Duran Duran for the title of biggest pop act in Britain. To do this, Napier-Bell devised a publicity strategy that he believed would elevate their profile internationally. In April 1985, he spent 10 days in China with Wham!
Wham! made history by becoming the first Western pop band to perform in China. The group debuted there in Hong Kong for two warm-up shows, followed by performances in front of 15,000 spectators in Beijing and Canton.
For the documentary “Wham! in China: Foreign Skies,” the incident was documented on camera. Ridgeley sang support vocals for Michael when Elton John and Live Aid performed in 1985.
(Credit: People)
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“The Edge of Heaven” from Wham!’s 1986 album was their fourth and final U.K. No. 1 single. Following a final performance named “The Final” in front of 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, June 28, 1986, the couple broke up, with Michael eager to pursue a more adult audience.
Ridgeley underwent surgery to have his septum corrected in 1984 to improve his breathing after pictures of Ridgeley’s bandaged face appeared in British newspapers, Wham! The bandages were allegedly caused by Ridgeley receiving a punch to the nose in a nightclub, according to a lie by manager Simon Napier-Bell.
Andrew Ridgeley Net Worth
Ridgeley has taken part in the Dallaglio Cycle Slam on numerous occasions. This charity bike ride benefits the Dallaglio Rugby Works, an organization that helps young people deal with life in a constructive way via rugby and was founded in 2009 by former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio.
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From 1990 to 2017, Ridgeley was romantically linked to Bananarama’s Keren Woodward. They lived in a house that was close to Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, and had been constructed in the 1500s with her son. Ridgeley started dating socialite Amanda Cronin in the year 2022.
It has been inferred from different media sources and analysis that Andrew Ridgeley’s net worth is very nearly a startling $40 million. His tremendous career with Wham! and his widespread success as a singer-songwriter have greatly boosted his net worth.
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