The late British pop superstar George Michael was the first singer to join James Corden for “Carpool Karaoke,” which has since becoming a fixture on Corden’s Late Late Show on CBS and a viral hit on YouTube and social media.
In 2011, Michael starred alongside Corden for a BBC Comic Relief sketch which saw the pair sing Wham!’s 1986 hit “I’m Your Man.”
“My original idea was to pick George Michael up from prison in a car,” Corden explained to Stephen Colbert during a June appearance on The Late Show. “And then we realized, ‘Maybe we’ll lose the prison, but what if there’s still some fun for me and George to be in the car and we’ll sing some Wham! songs?'”
“Carpool Karaoke” has since become a critical and commercial hit and a significant cultural force; in July, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Corden for the popular viral skit, which saw the two belt out lyrics to songs by Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder, among others.
A who’s-who of music’s megastars have also appeared on Corden’s show, including Madonna, Bruno Mars, Adele, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Gwen Stefani and dozens of others.
Michael died of heart failure on Christmas Day, his publicist confirmed. He was 53 years old.
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