The much-anticipated documentary, Wham! has dropped and the fans couldn’t be more excited to revisit the history of their favorite band, its progress to fame, and what happened to the renowned band members afterward. As we know, Wham! — founded by Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael — had a most amicable split. The group achieved tremendous success and they managed to sell over 30 million records globally at the peak of their musical career.
A few years later, George Michael cemented his popularity as a solo artist and an iconic pop star of his generation. His fellow bandmate, Andrew Ridgeley, on the other hand, began to recede into the background. The release of the new documentary has us wondering –
What is Andrew Ridgeley doing today?
While Michael went on to be hugely famous, Ridgeley also embarked on a career as a solo artist. His first album — which he made after signing his contract with CBS — was Son of Albert with “Shake” being his first solo song.
After the song failed to climb up the charts in most countries, he took a hiatus from music and started dabbling in a variety of other activities which include acting and motor racing. Speaking on the subject to The Race, Andrew’s team leader at the time — Dave Price — shared a story about when they first met.
“What I remember about first meeting Andrew was that he was just so normal really, a chilled guy who obviously had a tonne of money to do what he wanted with, and luckily for us he wanted to go motor-racing. It was a bit of fun for him really and he seemed to enjoy it, because I think it suited where his life was just after Wham! had stopped. Looking back I don’t think he was under illusions that he was going on to make a career from it to the best of my knowledge. He was much more successful at being a pop star than a racing driver but at least he had a go.”
His interest in sports didn’t end with motor racing. In the 1990s, he tried surfing before backing out due to illness, and in 2018, he — along with many others — participated in a 1,100-mile cycling event across the French and the Swiss Alps for charity, raising around $1.4 million along the way.
Thereafter, he appeared in a couple of movies and TV shows before collaborating with Michael on his short tour in 1991 in Rio de Janeiro. Today, he has an estimated net worth of around $40 million and earns most of his royalties from “Careless Whisper,” which Michael credited him for co-writing. The duo continued to share a close bond even after the group’s split and in 2019 Andrew authored the book, Wham!: George & Me, which reflected on his friendship with Michael as well as the effect his death had on him.