George Michael’s former partner, Kenny Goss, looked back on the late gay icon’s infamous arrest in April 1998, followed by his outing in the media.
The English singer-songwriter was arrested for “engaging in a lewd act” in a public toilet in Beverly Hills, which eventually escalated into a police sting operation. Goss opened up about the “fateful day” when he recalled that helicopters circled above the house while he just tried “to understand the situation and reassure George that everything would be OK.”
“He was stressed out. He took to his bed, then the next morning, we got up, and I told him, ‘Yep, still a few helicopters up there,’” the former flight attendant shared.
Goss, who was with Michael from 1996 to 2009, further recalled that the “Careless Whisper” singer “didn’t know what to do or what was going to happen,” but he had a “plan of action” to go out for dinner that evening to show people that he was in good shape.
After being arrested, Michael was fined $810 (about £500 at the time), and he was required to fulfill 80 hours of community service.
“From the moment he was arrested, when he wasn’t with me, there was always a little bit of me, thinking, ‘Is he going to be OK?’ I was always worried about what might happen, that he might get into trouble again,” Goss expressed.
He further revealed that the late singer was a “tortured soul.” Goss continued,
“When I talked to him in later years, I always closed by saying, ‘We all love you, remember that. You have a lot of people [who] love you.'”
The singer-songwriter passed away on Christmas Day in 2016. Moreover, Michael’s upcoming documentary, ‘George Michael: Outed,’ is set to air on Channel 4 on March 6 and 7.
Source: thepinknews.com
Seems like the gay community has come such a far way since the 90s yet seems like we have much farther to go.