Andrew Ridgeley, best known as George Michael’s counterpart in Wham!, was born Windlesham, Surrey, England on January 26, 1963. Andrew was born to Jennifer and Albert Ridgeley, who were English and Egyptian/Italian, respectively. His father worked for Canon and his mother was a school teacher.
Ridgeley met George Michael while both were attending the Bushey Meads School in Hertfordshire. Andrew was already a student when George enrolled and Andrew volunteered to show George the ropes. The pair played in several groups together over the years before founding Wham! and signing a record deal with Innervision Records in the early 1980s.
The lifestyle change was sudden for the pair, as Michael recalled in a 1984 interview: “Suddenly you’re in a position where you have as much money as you need, you feel secure and you have no one to answer to. It’s absolutely brilliant!”