Andrew Ridgeley Profile

Andrew Ridgeley is an English Singer/Songwriter/record producer best known for his work in the 1980s in the musical duo Wham! He formed this duo after years of playing in various music groups, most notably The Executive. The duo, Wham! comprises of Michael and himself.

Andrew Ridgeley Age

Ridgeley was born on January 26, 1963, in Windlesham, Surrey, England as Andrew John Ridgeley. He is therefore 60 years old as of 2023.

Andrew Ridgeley Height

He stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 9 inches.

Andrew Ridgeley Family

Ridgeley was born in Windlesham, Surrey, England to his loving and caring parents, Jennifer John(née Dunlop) and Alberto Mario Zacharia( who later changed his surname to Ridgeley). He states that his mother is of English and Scottish descent whereas his father is of Italian and Egyptian descent. Andrew was raised in Bushey, Hertfordshire. His mother was a schoolteacher at Bushey Health Primary School whereas his father was working for Canon.

Andrew Ridgeley Wife

Ridgeley was previously in a relationship with Keren Woodward who is a member of the Bananarama group. Woodward is an English pop singer, songwriter, and the founding member of the British girl band, Bananarama. The duo were in a relationship between 1990 and 2017. The duo lived with her son in a restored 15-century farm property near Wadebridge, Cornwall England. Back in the year 2022, he began dating socialite Amanda Cronin.

Andrew Ridgeley’s Net Worth

Ridgeley has an estimated net worth of around $30 Million which he has earned through his successful career as a Singer/Songwriter/record producer.

Andrew Ridgeley Education

Ridgeley attended Meads School where he graduated with a High School Diploma. When George Michael enrolled at school, he volunteered to take him under his wig.

Andrew Ridgeley Career

Michael was the lead vocalist and primary songwriter and played keyboards whereas Ridgeley co-wrote songs, performed backing vocals, and played guitar. The duo approached various record labels with a homemade demo tape which took about 10 minutes to record in Ridgeley’s living room. They also signed with Innerversion Records which was distributed by CBS Records. Later on, after about one album, the duo signed with Epic Records/CBS.

Andrew Ridgeley Wham!

Ridgeley and George Michael formed a duo titled, Wham! and together they enjoyed worldwide success between 1982 and 1986. This was after selling more than 35 million records worldwide. They made their U.S. debut on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, becoming the only 1980s British act to have three No. 1 singles on both the U.K. and U.S. charts.

Back in the year 1984, he underwent surgery to have his septum straightened in order to improve his breathing after having broken his nose when he was a child at nine. Later on, after photos were published in British newspapers showing his bandaged face, Wham!’s manager, Simon Napier-Bell, fabricated, a story that bandages were the results of Ridgeley. This after having been hit in the nose in a nightclub. Later on, after days of tabloid headlines, the true reason was revealed.

Back in the year 1984, Wham! charted two U.K. number 1 singles and were competing that year with then-pop rivals, Duran Duran to become Britain’s biggest pop act. Towards the end, Napier-Bell devised a publicity scheme that he believed would turn them into major international stars. back in the month of April 1985, he took Wham! to China for a 10-day visit.

They later gained huge worldwide media attention when Wham! became the first Western pop group to play in China. They first performed in Hong Kong for two warm-up shows, then did a show in Beijing in front of 15,000 people at the Worker’s Gymnasium. This was before finally performing in Canton. The visit was recorded for a documentary film, titled Wham! in China. This is Foreign Skies. Back in the year 1985, he performed at the Live Aid charity concert with other backing singers whereas Michael performed with Elton John.

By the year 1985, he had developed a reputation in the tabloid press as a drunken party animal at nightclubs. The British tabloids referred to him as the “Animal Andy” and Randy Randy.” Later on, he was ordered to leave the official party at the end of the Live Aid concert in the year 1985 for his wild behavior.

Back in the year 1986, “the Edge of Heaven” became Wham!’s fourth and final U.K. number-one single. Michael was keen to move into a more adult market and the duo broke up after a farewell concert dubbed “The Final” in front of 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium on the 28th of June 1986.

Andrew Ridgeley Post-Wham!

After the break up of Wham!, he moved to Monaco and tried his hand at Formula Three motor racing. Later on, after meeting with little success, he made a move to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in acting. He later made returned to Britain permanently in the year 1990.

CBS Records(later known as Sony Music) have taken up the option on Wham!’s contract which specified solo albums from Michael and Ridgeley. This was after releasing a guitar and rum-driven solo recording from Ridgeley, Son of Alber in the year 1990. His brother Paul, an occasional percussionist for Bananarama, played drums on the album. The first single from the album was “Shake.” This album reached number 16 on the Australian singles chart and No. 58 on the UK Singles Chart.

His second single, “Red Dress” was charted in Australia but peaked outside the top 100. Son of Albert sold poorly failing in order to make the top 75 in the UK Albums Chart. This was one of the worst-received albums of 1990 among critics. This was after only half a star in a savage Rolling Stone magazine review. As a result of this, CBS passed up the option of a second album. He later stated that it was disappointing and depressing to receive quite a beating over that album.

The 27th of January 1991 saw him join Michael on stage for a few songs at the encore of his Rock in Rio event at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. From the year 1991, he generally shunned publicity and agreed to give an on-camera interview for the first time since the split in a 2005 documentary, A Different Story. This documentary was about the life of George Michael. he also appeared as a studio guest on the first series of the BBC 2 program Fantasy Football League in the year 19994.

Back in the year 2005, he and Michael made plans to reunite as Wham! for Live 8. He, however, reportedly pulled out at the last minute. Back in the year 2012, he dismissed rumors that they were set for a reunion to mark the 3oth anniversary of their first record. He stated that there was no truth in speculation the group would reform for a one-off concert.

After the death of Michael on the 25th of December 2016, he paid his respects on Twitter stating that he was “Heartbroken at the loss of his beloved friend, Yog.” Ridgeley also did a performance of a cameo role in the film, Last Christmas in the year 2019 which featured many songs by Wham! Previously, he was on the soundtrack of the film, Dead Pool in 2016. This is in addition to being on the soundtrack of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2014 and Hot Tub Time Machine in 2010. He was also on the soundtrack of A Night at the Roxbury in 1998.

Back in the year 1982, he reportedly amassed £10 million from sales and royalties of records. He states that most of his income comes from the 1984 single, “Careless Whisper” which he co-wrote. This song sold over 6 Million copies worldwide and as of 2020, it was the 37th best-selling single of all time in the United Kingdom. This was having sold over 1.3 Million copies. He still receives tens of thousands of pounds a year from his share of Wham! royalties as a member of the act and as a songwriter on some of the duo’s songs.

Andrew Ridgeley’s Charitable Work and Memoir

Ridgeley has previously participated in the Dallaglio Cycle Slam which is a charity bike ride for the Dallaglio Rugby Works. This work was established in the year 2019 by former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio. This helps young people tackle life in a positive way with the help of rugby. Back on the 8th of October 2019, Penguin Random House published Ridgeley’s memoir, Wham! George & Me.