George Michael's greatest hits remind us of how epic he truly was

British singer and global pop culture icon George Michael has died at 53, leaving behind a legacy of music and ground-breaking music videos that have impacted generations.

Beginning back in 1981, George Michael, along with his partner Andrew Ridgeley, formed the group Wham!

The UK group had its first hit in 1982 with "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" a pop riff on the emerging rap music genre, following in the footsteps of Blondie's 1980 his "Rapture."

That song, from Wham!'s debut album "Fantastic," set the group up for one of its biggest hits, "Bad Boys," which introduced the world to the group's '50s motorcycle gang leather jacket and pompadour look merged with a slick British pop sound.

However, the band really began to take off internationally with the release of its second album, "Make It Big" in 1984, which included the hits "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Careless Whisper," "Freedom," "Last Christmas" and "Everything She Wants."

By this time the band had replaced its leather jackets with a more '80s look - fabulously coiffed hair with blazers and shirts.

This is arguably the height of George Michael's pop powers as he was both one of the biggest music stars on the planet and a major sex symbol.

The group continued its run with a compilation album called "The Final" in 1986, containing a number of fan favorites from the group.

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