tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/george-michael-34583/articlesGeorge Michael – The Conversation2023-06-08T12:29:09Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2072712023-06-08T12:29:09Z2023-06-08T12:29:09ZAstrud Gilberto spread bossa nova to a welcoming world – but got little love back in Brazil<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530684/original/file-20230607-27-zy6mft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C12%2C4083%2C2920&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Astrud Gilberto backstage at New York City's Birdland Jazz Club in 1964.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/jazz-singer-astrud-gilberto-pose-for-a-portrait-backstage-news-photo/158229367?adppopup=true">Popsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Astrud Gilberto didn’t set out to be <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/06/entertainment/astrud-gilberto-death/index.html">an ambassador of bossa nova</a>, the laid-back Brazilian musical genre with rhythms recognizable to music lovers around the world.</p>
<p>According to Gilberto, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/arts/music/astrud-gilberto-dead.html">who died on June 5, 2023</a>, at the age of 83, she wasn’t expecting to be on the 1964 recording of “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/olympics/2016/live-updates/rio-games/scores-and-latest-news/the-back-story-on-the-girl-from-ipanema/">The Girl from Ipanema</a>” – the song for which she is best remembered.</p>
<p>At the time of the recording, she wasn’t even a professional singer.</p>
<p>But Gilberto’s breathy singing voice – almost a whisper, with no hint of a vibrato – helped catapult the song, the singer and bossa nova to the forefront of international pop music. </p>
<p>But while she went on to achieve global fame, back home in Brazil, Gilberto was never given the respect that I believe her talent deserved. In 1966, in the only major performance she gave in her home country, she was booed.</p>
<h2>When bossa went big</h2>
<p>Astrud Gilberto and “The Girl from Ipanema” marked a turning point in bossa nova. </p>
<p>The genre had appeared in Rio de Janeiro in 1958, when <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/06/arts/music/joao-gilberto-dead-bossa-nova.html">João Gilberto</a> invented a new beat on his guitar out of the traditional samba. Compared to samba, bossa nova featured a more relaxed rhythm, with an emphasis on harmonic melodies that João Gilberto and composer <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/09/obituaries/antonio-carlos-jobim-composer-dies-at-67.html">Antônio Carlos Jobim</a> had drawn from American jazz.</p>
<p>In 1963, American jazz saxophonist <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/07/obituaries/stan-getz-64-saxophonist-dies-a-melodist-with-his-own-sound.html">Stan Getz</a> invited João Gilberto and Jobim to record a jazz-bossa album with him in New York.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man seated, looking away from the camera, cradling a saxophone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530715/original/file-20230607-15-pwuyaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530715/original/file-20230607-15-pwuyaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530715/original/file-20230607-15-pwuyaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530715/original/file-20230607-15-pwuyaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530715/original/file-20230607-15-pwuyaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530715/original/file-20230607-15-pwuyaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530715/original/file-20230607-15-pwuyaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">American saxophonist Stan Getz, photographed in the mid-1960s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-jazz-musician-stan-getz-sits-outside-on-a-walkway-news-photo/3207831?adppopup=true">Hulton Archive/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>At that time, jazz in the U.S. was waning in popularity, with other genres, such as rock ‘n’ roll, starting to attract more fans. Getz, in search of a new sound, had had huge success with his 1962 album, “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Samba">Jazz Samba</a>,” the only jazz album that had ever <a href="https://www.knkx.org/jazz/2022-03-24/celebrating-60-years-of-jazz-samba#:%7E:text=Jazz%20Samba%20is%20the%20only,Group%20(Instrumental)%20in%201963.">hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts</a>. The foray in bossa nova with two established stars of the genre was going to be his next move.</p>
<p>By then, many American music lovers were already somewhat familiar with bossa nova. Before Getz’s “Jazz Samba,” the 1959 hit Franco-Brazilian movie “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053146/">Black Orpheus</a>,” with its theme “<a href="https://www.kuvo.org/stories-of-standards-manha-de-carnaval/">Manhã de Carnaval</a>,” had introduced the genre to a global audience – the film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and a best foreign language Oscar in the U.S. </p>
<p>Jazz singer Tony Bennett was also an <a href="https://bloggingtonybennett.com/tag/bossa-nova/">early champion of the genre</a>, arriving home from a 1961 trip to Rio de Janiero with an armful of bossa records, and he may have inspired Getz to collaborate with some stars of the genre.</p>
<p>João Gilberto arrived to meet Getz at a Manhattan recording studio accompanied by his then-22-year-old wife, Astrud. </p>
<p>What happened next is contested, with Getz claiming credit for suggesting that Astrud sing two tracks: “The Girl From Ipanema” by Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, and “Corcovado” or “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” by Jobim only. Astrud spoke English, along with a handful of other languages, in addition to her native Portuguese.</p>
<p>Astrud was, at that time, not a professional singer although she had sung in a couple of clubs in Rio de Janeiro. Nonetheless, she possessed a voice that suited the bossa style. Before bossa nova emerged, the Brazilian “cancioneiro” was dominated by an opera-like way of singing, where the singer imposed an image of grandiose figure to the audience. In the quiet and minimalist revolution of bossa nova, however, the singer’s personality is subdued; the music and the melody take center stage.</p>
<p>In that style, Astrud almost whispers her way through “The Girl From Ipanema” and “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars.” Getz’s saxophone solos are similarly low-key. There is nothing flashy. It is all about the melody, the rhythm and the harmony.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman bathed in magenta light closes her eyes while singing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530686/original/file-20230607-27-finyvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530686/original/file-20230607-27-finyvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530686/original/file-20230607-27-finyvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530686/original/file-20230607-27-finyvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530686/original/file-20230607-27-finyvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530686/original/file-20230607-27-finyvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530686/original/file-20230607-27-finyvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Astrud Gilberto’s voice was perfectly suited for bossa nova.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/photo-of-astrud-gilberto-news-photo/86103973?adppopup=true">Simon Ritter/Redferns via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>And yet the restrained vocals and sax, together with the easy-flowing melody, proved a potent mix. When the track was released as a single in 1964 – with João Gilberto’s Portuguese verses cut out – it became a massive hit. Today, “The Girl from Ipanema” <a href="https://www.npr.org/2012/07/08/156430077/who-is-she-just-one-of-the-most-popular-songs-ever">is the second-most-recorded pop song of all time</a> – bested only by The Beatles’ “Yesterday.” </p>
<p>The album it appeared on, “Getz/Gilberto,” also became world famous, spawning a live follow-up, “Getz/Gilberto #2,” a year later. </p>
<h2>Brazil turns its back</h2>
<p>But the “Gilberto” in the album title was very much João, and not Astrud.</p>
<p>João Gilberto <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/astrud-gilberto-girl-from-ipanema-b2006879.html">was paid US$23,000</a> for the “Getz/Gilberto” session. Getz himself pocketed close to a million dollars from sales. Astrud reportedly received <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/06/06/1180416189/astrud-gilberto-the-girl-from-ipanema-singer-dies-at-83">just $120</a>. She also didn’t make it onto the credits of the original album.</p>
<p>Indeed, as the song grew in popularity, Getz reportedly called Creed Taylor, head of Verve Records, to make sure Astrud <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/singers-and-the-song-ii-9780195122084?cc=us&lang=en&">would not be included in the share of the royalties</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Album cover featuring abstract orange and black painting." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530713/original/file-20230607-29-6w4o9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530713/original/file-20230607-29-6w4o9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=601&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530713/original/file-20230607-29-6w4o9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=601&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530713/original/file-20230607-29-6w4o9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=601&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530713/original/file-20230607-29-6w4o9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=755&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530713/original/file-20230607-29-6w4o9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=755&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530713/original/file-20230607-29-6w4o9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=755&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">On the album cover for ‘Getz/Gilberto,’ there’s no mention of Astrud.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/cover-of-the-album-getz-gilberto-by-stan-getz-and-joao-news-photo/158624172?adppopup=true">Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Nonetheless, back in Brazil she was portrayed as a “lucky girl” who found overnight fame simply for being in the right place, with the right man, at the right time.</p>
<p>She divorced João in 1964, and the press in Brazil blamed her for the collapse of the marriage, amid rumors of an affair with Getz. No doubt, the misogyny of Brazilian culture at the time played a role. Her son, Marcelo, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-65818566">later recalled in an interview</a> that “Brazil turned its back” on his mother, adding that “She achieved fame abroad at a time when this was considered treasonous by the press.”</p>
<p>Astrud Gilberto went on to have a successful career, releasing 17 original albums from 1964 to 2002 and collaborating with figures such as Quincy Jones, Chet Baker, Stanley Turrentine and George Michael.</p>
<p>Despite her success, she was never accepted as a star back in her native Brazil. In this, she was not alone: The country rarely embraces Brazilians who rise to stardom while living abroad, particularly in the U.S. Before Gilberto, singer <a href="https://www.si.edu/spotlight/latin-music-legends-stamps/carmen-miranda">Carmen Miranda</a> got the same cold shoulder. And Brazilians similarly shunned bossa nova legend <a href="https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/sergio-mendes-1920/">Sérgio Mendes</a>, who rose to fame in the late 1960s. </p>
<p>Astrud Gilberto ultimately only performed once in her native country after finding fame and emigrating to the United States in the mid-1960s. Despite a career that spanned four decades, Astrud was viewed by many in Brazil as merely João Gilberto’s wife – the girl that got lucky with that one hit record.</p>
<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/2Ad42omFKALIj6R38Xk95w?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="380" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207271/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mario Higa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>During the only major performance she gave in her home country, Gilberto was booed.Mario Higa, Professor of Luso-Hispanic Studies, MiddleburyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2006032023-03-01T12:31:35Z2023-03-01T12:31:35ZAmerican man developed an Irish accent after getting prostate cancer – foreign accent syndrome explained<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512626/original/file-20230228-24-wakqx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C8%2C5825%2C3755&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-talking-alphabet-letters-coming-out-769827094">pathdoc/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>An American man <a href="https://casereports.bmj.com/content/16/1/e251655">developed an Irish accent</a> following treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. The man was in his 50s and had never been to Ireland. </p>
<p>The accent was described as “uncontrolled”, meaning the man couldn’t stop talking with an Irish brogue, even if he tried. He continued speaking this way until his death.</p>
<p>This is the first time a person has developed “foreign accent syndrome” linked to a prostate cancer diagnosis. And it is <a href="https://casereports.bmj.com/content/16/1/e251655">only the third case</a> of foreign accent syndrome linked to cancer – the others were breast cancer and brain cancer.</p>
<p>Foreign accent syndrome usually happens as a <a href="https://pn.bmj.com/content/16/5/409">result of brain damage</a>, such as from a stroke. Stroke can cause different types of speech and language disorders, but foreign accent syndrome is one of the more unusual ones. </p>
<p>Other causes of the syndrome are changes to the structure of the brain, such as cancer tumours, encephalitis (brain swelling), multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Woman on This Morning, ITV, with foreign accent syndrome.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The condition was first described by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Marie">Pierre Marie</a>, a French neurologist, in 1907. Marie described the case of a man who originally spoke French with a Parisian accent, but after a stroke, he started speaking with a regional French accent from the area of Strasbourg in France. </p>
<p>To date, around 200 cases of foreign accent syndrome have been reported in clinical studies, making it quite a rare speech disorder. Perhaps the best-known case is when <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/george-michael-14-1264722">George Michael briefly spoke with a West Country accent</a> when he came out of a coma following a bout of pneumonia in 2011. The singer is from North London.</p>
<p>The condition can be distressing for patients because they lose an important personality characteristic that is expressed by their accent. The impact of this illness was reported in 1947 by the Norwegian neurologist Monrad-Krohn: he <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/70.4.405">described a Norwegian lady</a> who had suffered a serious head injury in a bombing raid during the second world war. As a result of this damage, she spoke Norwegian with a German foreign accent, and this was quite problematic in postwar Norway.</p>
<p>She was often refused service in shops because people thought she was German. Being identified as a foreigner all the time and being questioned about it can be very distressing. The effect may be so serious that some patients apply unusual methods to find peace of mind. We have heard of a lady with the syndrome saying that she enjoyed staying in hotels because it is very natural to hear a foreign accent in a hotel environment, so it goes unnoticed.</p>
<h2>Psychological causes</h2>
<p>Apart from damage to the central nervous system, foreign accent syndrome can also be caused by psychological factors such as extreme stress. We have identified “<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00168/full">psychogenic foreign accent syndrome</a>” as a separate type of foreign accent syndrome. In 2005, researchers were contacted by a native Dutch speaker who had a heavy and persistent French accent after suffering intense stress as a result of almost being hit by a car. Detailed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1155/2005/989602">neurological investigations</a> did not reveal any brain abnormalities, but psychological tests identified important psychological issues. She only fully returned to her original Dutch accent after ten years.</p>
<p>Another version of this condition is “mixed foreign accent syndrome”. These patients first develop a foreign accent because of brain damage and then try to change their word use to create a more convincing “foreign” personality. This was noticed by researchers at the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02699200400026900">University of Central Florida</a> who saw an American patient who developed a British accent following a stroke and who started using British English words like lift (instead of elevator) and mum (instead of mom). </p>
<p>The patient explained that it was easier for her to allow people to believe that she was from England, rather than trying to explain that her accent was the result of a stroke. Although she insisted that her use of “Briticisms” was not under her conscious control.</p>
<p>Full recovery from the accent change is difficult and often requires intensive speech therapy for a long time. But there have been cases of fairly quick recovery.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200603/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Johan Verhoeven received funding from the Leverhulme Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stefanie Keulen received funding from Research Council of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2013-2017) and the Research Foundation Flanders (2017-2021).</span></em></p>There have only been around 200 reported cases of foreign accent syndrome since it was first reported in 1907.Johan Verhoeven, Professor of Experimental Phonetics, City, University of LondonStefanie Keulen, Assistant Professor/Research Leader, Vrije Universiteit BrusselLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1531002021-01-19T19:07:32Z2021-01-19T19:07:32ZSydney Festival review: The Rise and Fall of Saint George shows the transformative power of music<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379377/original/file-20210118-18-1vlw80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1087%2C1384%2C5734%2C3534&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bianca De Marchi/Sydney Festival</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Rise and Fall of Saint George is a story about place, belonging and community that taps into universal tensions of identity and faith in multicultural societies. </p>
<p>Playing for one night only at the Sydney Festival, the breezy and open space of the Headland at Barangaroo Reserve with Sydney Harbour as backdrop provided an additional dose of catharsis to this haunting and humorous tribute to freedom exemplifying the transformative power of music. </p>
<p>Electronica composer and musician Paul Mac and playwright Lachlan Philpott collaborated to create a personal and poignant reflection on the divisive national same-sex marriage debate in Australia and one of its local consequences: the destruction of a giant mural of George Michael in Newtown by several young men in separate incidences, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/nov/19/vandalised-george-michael-mural-sydney-makeover">one of whom claimed </a> it violated his Christian faith. </p>
<h2>Reflection and healing</h2>
<p>Scott Marsh’s mural was commissioned by Mac and Johnny Seymour for the side of their home in Newtown following the death of George Michael in 2016. The singer is depicted as a saint in priestly robes with a cross dangling from one ear, his head surrounded by a rainbow-coloured halo and smoking marijuana. </p>
<p>For 11 months, the mural was a site of commemoration, celebration, pilgrimage and reassurance for the residents of Newtown — and further afield, given the made-for-Instagram quality of Marsh’s work. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379418/original/file-20210119-15-2y757t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="George Michael in priestly robes with a cross dangling from one ear, his head surrounded by a rainbow-coloured halo and smoking marijuana" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379418/original/file-20210119-15-2y757t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379418/original/file-20210119-15-2y757t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=803&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379418/original/file-20210119-15-2y757t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=803&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379418/original/file-20210119-15-2y757t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=803&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379418/original/file-20210119-15-2y757t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1009&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379418/original/file-20210119-15-2y757t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1009&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379418/original/file-20210119-15-2y757t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1009&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The original mural in Newtown.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sydney Festival</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The mural’s life was cut short by vandals and has become a site of contest over freedom of expression and faith. But this one-hour performance directed by Kate Champion with a huge choir, excellent music and a great lineup of singers is a celebration of life, love and resilience in unpredictable times. </p>
<p>The battle for George’s visibility played out in the performance is both reflection and healing, and a reminder freedoms cannot be taken for granted.</p>
<p>The mood during the marriage equality debate was intense given the divisiveness of the campaign. The result of the postal survey was a resounding yes, but roughly one-in-four of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/same-sex-marriage-survey-by-the-stats-a-resounding-yes-but-western-sydney-leads-no-vote-87258">votes were for no</a>. This is still a lot of people.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/same-sex-marriage-survey-by-the-stats-a-resounding-yes-but-western-sydney-leads-no-vote-87258">Same-sex marriage survey by the stats: a resounding 'yes' but western Sydney leads 'no' vote</a>
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<p>News audio broadcast from the same-sex marriage debate takes you back to the heightened emotion of that time. Video of Newtown streetscapes evoke the neighbourhood’s narrow and close knit rows of houses, and the lyrics reflect the importance of tolerance and acceptance: “with open minds there’s room for you here”, the choir sings.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379380/original/file-20210118-23-1cwjj8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Singers stand on stage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379380/original/file-20210118-23-1cwjj8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379380/original/file-20210118-23-1cwjj8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379380/original/file-20210118-23-1cwjj8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379380/original/file-20210118-23-1cwjj8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379380/original/file-20210118-23-1cwjj8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379380/original/file-20210118-23-1cwjj8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379380/original/file-20210118-23-1cwjj8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The Rise and Fall of Saint George is a celebration of life.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bianca De Marchi/Sydney Festival</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Juxtaposed with audio from Penny Wong and Tony Abbott are cheeky and ribald lyrics balancing the gravity of the destruction of the mural with a humour that might ameliorate those violent acts: “Now we have a plebiscite that’s more dinky di than vegemite!”</p>
<h2>Listening without prejudice</h2>
<p>Rather than drawing on George Michael’s music, the show perpetuates his legacy as a freedom fighter for not only gay rights, but the right to be who you are and live your own truth without judgement. </p>
<p>In this, it embodies his call to listen without prejudice. </p>
<p>Mac speaks candidly about his personal experience of prejudice with the defacement of the mural; the fear the waves of vandalism to the mural caused him, his partner and the local community, and the vigils held to protect the mural. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379379/original/file-20210118-23-12sgcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man at a piano." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379379/original/file-20210118-23-12sgcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379379/original/file-20210118-23-12sgcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379379/original/file-20210118-23-12sgcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379379/original/file-20210118-23-12sgcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379379/original/file-20210118-23-12sgcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379379/original/file-20210118-23-12sgcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379379/original/file-20210118-23-12sgcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Paul Mac candidly shares his story.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bianca De Marchi/Sydney Festival</span></span>
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<p>Threats they received during this time were a reminder of the suspicion and fear divisiveness can generate. </p>
<p>Incidents of defacement were followed by the chalking up of affirmative messages by the local community. The final act of vandalism hid George with black paint reflecting that the ownership of sites of commemoration can be unpredictable.</p>
<p>But out of acts of violence — and resistance to violence — is born a transformative musical experience of community courage and determination.</p>
<p>Both George Michael’s “sainthood” and the push for LGBTQ rights will go on, and will take unpredictable twists and turns that emphasise the need to remain vigilant. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379378/original/file-20210118-17-2zpj46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The original mural, covered in black paint." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379378/original/file-20210118-17-2zpj46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379378/original/file-20210118-17-2zpj46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379378/original/file-20210118-17-2zpj46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379378/original/file-20210118-17-2zpj46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379378/original/file-20210118-17-2zpj46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379378/original/file-20210118-17-2zpj46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379378/original/file-20210118-17-2zpj46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The mural became a site of contention, eventually being covered with black paint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bianca De Marchi/Sydney Festival</span></span>
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<p>And as the lyrics noted, despite black paint hiding George Michael in the mural, “his soul is aflame”. He remains a beacon for freedom across the globe.</p>
<p>As we stood to leave Barangaroo, and the bright lights of Luna Park twinkled across the harbour, I felt a sense of gratitude. I was thankful to the community who conceived and brought this show to life: a performance that gave us space to reflect and celebrate, that moved the debate on the mural forward, and offered engagement as a solution to prejudice.</p>
<p><em>The Rise and Fall of Saint George was at Sydney Festival, January 15.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153100/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justin Ellis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A celebration of life, love and resilience, The Rise and Fall of Saint George is a restorative experience.Justin Ellis, Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Newcastle, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/863982017-10-26T05:14:03Z2017-10-26T05:14:03ZGeorge Michael: Freedom documents a star at war with fame<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191980/original/file-20171026-28079-1h98urd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">George Michael in the music video for Father Figure</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot from Youtube</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The new documentary, George Michael: Freedom, has been billed as the star’s last work. Mostly completed before his death in December 2016, it covers his career and influence, mixing both his personal life and professional output. Combining interviews, existing clips (mostly video) with some new voice-over from Michael, the documentary puts together a chronological narrative of the singer’s life. </p>
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<p>Although there isn’t a great deal of original material from Michael himself, most interesting is the way his narrative has been reconsidered by some unlikely musical contemporaries such as Oasis’s Liam Gallagher. The documentary features new interviews with the record industry, showing that at times the machine seemed simply unable to understand how someone so young and talented could be so willing to deny their guidance. </p>
<p>Case in point was the major legal battle Michael launched with record company Sony in the early 1990s. At this stage Michael had been seemingly globally successful with Wham!; then apparently astronomically successful with his first solo album, Faith.</p>
<p>Looking at the “difficult second album” to follow up, he released the glorious Listen Without Prejudice – but wanted to do so without the press circus that had accompanied him up to that point. When he refused to have his image on the album’s cover or film clips – and also refused the interview/press circuit to promote the work – the record company simply didn’t understand why. Michael initiated legal proceedings against Sony for failing to promote the album. The case was dismissed. </p>
<p>As the documentary shows, it seems that ideologically, even now, Sony couldn’t quite comprehend Michael’s stance. At one point one of the reps compares Michael’s refusal to do promo to a film actor who refuses to attend a premiere. How could someone who enjoyed being the centre of attention when performing live, or when writing music for people to listen to in their most intimate moments, not be completely eager to talk about themselves endlessly on chat shows and pimp themselves out for record-store signings?</p>
<p>Michael had been talking about the stresses of fame at a young age in the lead-up to the legal battle. Most famously, in response to an interview about the pressure, a <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/read-sinatras-open-letter-to-george-michael.html">note addressed to Michael from Frank Sinatra</a> appeared in the press telling the then young pop star to “Loosen up. Swing, man,” and to stop his talk about “the tragedy of fame”. In his documentary Michael questions the letter’s authenticity, suggesting it was a publicist rather than Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. </p>
<p>Michael had articulated his disillusionment with fame when he was 27 years old. This was the age when many before him, thrust into similar situations, had also run from fame. Unfortunately, artists like Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse had run in a much more permanent way. That Michael had the strength to be able to stand up for himself and his sanity at such a vulnerable time, even at the risk of being called a whinger by an icon, remains remarkable.</p>
<p>Much has already been written in the US and UK press about the documentary’s unlikely cameos and Michael’s champions. People like Liam Gallagher or Ricky Gervais perhaps at first appear too cool to have contributed without irony – however, soon it becomes clear they are genuine admirers. </p>
<p>Referencing the infamous “<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/george-michael-arrested-over-lewd-act-1155246.html">lewd act</a>” for which Michael was arrested for sex with a man, Gervais praised the singer’s directness and candour. Refusing to be shamed personally, in the same way he had refused to be shamed before, he emerged instead making fun of those who sought to isolate or alienate him. The best revenge came with more great music – and a cheeky recreation with mirror balls and dancing camp cops.</p>
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<p>Michael’s private life does makes its way into the documentary. Hearing him talk about his time with his first real love – Anselmo Feleppa, who died of AIDS not long after they met – is heartbreaking. It leads to a greater discussion about Michael’s ability to connect with audiences on his own terms, talking about Feleppa with his post-lawsuit album, Older. It shows how far the artist flourished when he was allowed to just get on with making music rather than making mainstream small talk. Older was a statement about Michael’s development, but also a grieving tribute to Feleppa’s life, love and passing. </p>
<p>The documentary is topped and tailed with the tributes to Michael performed by Adele and Coldplay in the months after his death. These, along with Kate Moss’s intro, are the only reminders in the program that Michael is actually gone. </p>
<p>The doco was made as a celebration (and somewhat strangely) as a Sony-sponsored promotion for <a href="http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/10/17/ad-the-day-sony-marks-george-michaels-listen-without-prejudice-re-issue-with">re-releases of Michael’s work</a>. Despite this, it remains beautiful and anything but sad. How lucky we were to have had him for as long as we did.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86398/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liz Giuffre does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>George Michael’s posthumous documentary Freedom reveals the star’s tension between pop-stardom and privacy.Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/742272017-03-10T15:05:07Z2017-03-10T15:05:07ZDilated cardiomyopathy: the disease that killed George Michael – explained<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160315/original/image-20170310-3680-2i8leo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/9010987?src=kmlHxxYuQioSWC842D6IDQ-1-2&size=medium_jpg">Slavko Sereda/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>An Oxfordshire coroner recently announced that George Michael <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39193367">died of natural causes</a>. The post-mortem examination revealed that the singer suffered from a number of health problems, including dilated cardiomyopathy. </p>
<p>Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle. Up to half of the cases are caused by an inherited faulty gene. By understanding the inherited form of the disease, we hope to gain insight into the mechanisms that cause DCM and improve the treatment for patients.</p>
<p>DCM affects about one in 2,500 people and is a major cause of <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/Pages/Introduction.aspx">heart failure</a>. Around half of DCM patients die within five years of a diagnosis. Symptoms of the disease include fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling in the legs and abdomen. It is usually diagnosed using techniques that can image the heart and assess how well it is pumping, typically echocardiography which uses sound waves. </p>
<p>DCM primarily affects the main pumping chamber of the heart known as the left ventricle. The walls of the ventricle become stretched and thinned, making the heart less efficient at pumping blood. This eventually leads to heart failure where the heart is unable to supply the body with enough blood. </p>
<p>People with DCM are initially treated with drugs, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACE_inhibitor">ACE inhibitors</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_blocker">beta-blockers</a>, to improve heart function. When the drugs become less effective, patients are sometimes fitted with an implantable device to maintain adequate heart performance. As a last resort, patients may be given a heart transplant. </p>
<p>There are many causes of DCM. It may come about as a side effect of infectious diseases affecting other parts of the body (such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-chagas-disease-40047">Chagas disease</a>), a reaction to toxins (for example, poisoning by mercury or lead) or a response to alcohol or drug abuse. In addition to these causes, DCM can also be inherited by one or both parents transmitting a mutant version of a particular gene. It is estimated that between one-third and one-half of DCM cases are <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra0902923">inherited</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160317/original/image-20170310-3690-1bfqxp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160317/original/image-20170310-3690-1bfqxp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160317/original/image-20170310-3690-1bfqxp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160317/original/image-20170310-3690-1bfqxp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160317/original/image-20170310-3690-1bfqxp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160317/original/image-20170310-3690-1bfqxp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160317/original/image-20170310-3690-1bfqxp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">DCM is often diagnosed using an echocardiogram.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/393673966?src=2mwYrEcD7Q-H0WItHF6CIg-1-0&size=medium_jpg">Anamaria Mejia/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<h2>Finding the mutant genes</h2>
<p>One of main research interests in our <a href="http://www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/principal-investigators/researcher/charles-redwood">laboratory</a> at the University of Oxford is the understanding of inherited DCM. We hope this will give insight as well into the acquired forms of the disease and lead to improved treatment for DCM patients. </p>
<p>Over the past 20 years, scientists have studied DNA from DCM patients to identify genes that cause the inherited disease. More than different genes have now been found and a single change in the DNA (known as a mutation) of one of these is enough to cause the disease. </p>
<p>These mutant genes produce mutant proteins that have diverse roles within the heart muscle. Broadly, they seem to affect the ability of the heart to contract and relax – vital for its role as a pump. They do so either by altering the ability of the heart muscle cells to produce the necessary energy to power the process, or by directly affecting the cellular machinery that makes the heart contract. </p>
<p>The mechanism of contraction involves the sliding of two sets of filaments within the heart cells – referred to as “thick and thin filaments” – and it has been shown that proteins that make up these structures are mutated in DCM patients. </p>
<p>Among these proteins is the main component of the thick filaments called myosin. Myosin performs the role of the motor during contraction, in that it coverts chemical energy to drive the sliding of the filaments. By comparing the ability of normal and mutant filaments to contract, it has been shown that the mutations that cause DCM generally lead to reduced force of contraction. </p>
<p>We believe that the inherent inability to produce sufficient contraction of the heart muscle reduces the heart’s effectiveness as a pump and is an important early trigger in the development of DCM. </p>
<p>New drugs are being developed to target the protein myosin in order to increase contraction – and <a href="http://investors.myokardia.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254211&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2241662">initial drug trials</a> are already taking place in humans. As well as being applicable to patients with inherited defects in the heart’s contractile machinery, a similar approach may also be beneficial to those with DCM due to non-genetic causes. Although these drugs are not yet available to patients, it is hoped that they will offer real benefit to people who suffer from this devastating condition.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/74227/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charles Redwood receives funding from British Heart Foundation. </span></em></p>Most people with dilated cardiomyopathy die within five years of a diagnosis. Luckily, new treatments for this deadly disease are being developed.Charles Redwood, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Biochemistry, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/711512017-01-12T23:56:02Z2017-01-12T23:56:02ZWhat is heart failure? It’s not as common a cause of death as reports would have us believe<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152349/original/image-20170111-6425-1fwy68k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most people erroneously believe 'heart failure' is when the heart suddenly stops. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com.au</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When George Michael died last year <a href="http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/george-michaels-long-battle-with-health-issues/news-story/45101ac02ba9f7716d6c55c440e460c2">news reports</a> all over the <a href="http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/12/25/george-michael-cause-of-death-heart-failure/">world</a> announced the cause as heart failure.</p>
<p>The same condition was cited as the cause of death of 61 year old Devo band member <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/18/showbiz/devo-bob-casale-dead/">Bob Casale</a>, 27 year old Ecuadorian footballer <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/31/sport/football/football-christian-benitez-dies/">Christian Benitez</a>, actor <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/actor-river-phoenix-dies-23-1993-article-1.2762206">River Phoenix</a>, The Doors lead singer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Morrison">Jim Morrison</a>, former First Lady <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/nancy-reagan-dead-former-first-7506681">Nancy Reagan</a> and Lord of the Rings’ <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/11/christopher-lee-dies-at-the-age-of-93-dracula">Christopher Lee</a>, well known for playing Saruman the White. </p>
<p>There is even a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-who-died-of-heart-failure/reference">website</a> that lists celebrities who have died of heart failure. As a general physician I know “heart failure” was unlikely to be the cause of death of most of these people.</p>
<h2>What actually is heart failure?</h2>
<p>While they are all related to each other, “heart failure”, “heart attack” and “sudden cardiac arrest” are not synonyms. A lay person could be excused for thinking a heart that has “failed” has suddenly stopped, but this is not the medical meaning. </p>
<p>Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to the other organs to satisfy their need for oxygen and nutrients. It usually manifests as tiredness and weakness, breathlessness and swelling of the legs and abdomen. Sudden death may occur as a consequence of heart failure, but it is not a feature of the disease.</p>
<p>The most important causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease (which causes a heart attack) and high blood pressure, but it can also be the result of damage to the heart muscle itself (cardiomyopathy), problems with the valves (such as “aortic stenosis”) or when the heart’s rhythm is disturbed and it beats too fast, too slow or irregularly (“atrial fibrillation”).</p>
<h2>What’s a heart attack?</h2>
<p>A “heart attack” occurs when one of the arteries in the heart suddenly blocks, depriving the heart muscle of oxygen. Typically, a heart attack produces severe, central, crushing chest pain. How much heart muscle dies depends on the extent of the blockage and how quickly the blood flow can be restored through medical intervention. </p>
<p>An oxygen-starved heart is unstable and prone to rhythm abnormalities, so a heart attack is one of the common triggers of a “sudden cardiac arrest” which means the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops.</p>
<p>The vast majority of people who have a heart attack do not suffer a sudden cardiac arrest but many will subsequently develop heart failure if sufficient muscle has been damaged. </p>
<h2>So if not heart failure, what do they really mean?</h2>
<p>Heart failure is a major public health problem. It affects <a href="http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=10737418530">approximately 300,000 Australians</a> and, as it is a disease mainly of older people, numbers will significantly rise as the population ages. </p>
<p>The condition increases your risk of dying from a sudden cardiac arrest. Around 50% of people will be dead five years after they receive a heart failure diagnosis, probably from sudden cardiac arrest but other complications are often implicated. This makes the illness <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa020265">as deadly as many cancers</a>.</p>
<p>Many of the celebrity deaths, especially the middle aged ones, reported as being due to heart failure were probably the result of a sudden cardiac arrest caused by underlying coronary artery disease. </p>
<p>But sudden death can have other causes: these include a clot of blood that travels to the lungs (pulmonary embolism), rupture of the aorta (main artery of the body), intentional or unintentional poisoning or brain haemorrhage. George Michael’s post mortem was “inconclusive” and failed to reveal a specific reason for his death, a surprisingly common finding in this context. </p>
<p>On the other hand, 93 year old Christopher Lee had been unwell for some time before he died. He had been admitted to hospital with “respiratory problems and heart failure”, a diagnosis in keeping with his advanced age and reported symptoms. Unlike the others, Saruman the White’s end would have been slower and, hopefully peaceful.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71151/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frank Bowden does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When George Michael passed away last year news reports all over the world announced the cause as heart failure. It’s unlikely this really was the cause.Frank Bowden, Professor at ANU Medical School; Senior Staff Specialist Infectious Diseases; General Physician, ACT HealthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/707832016-12-28T10:06:51Z2016-12-28T10:06:51ZGeorge Michael and Rick Parfitt: two ends of a rich cultural mainstream<p>The deaths of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38432862">pop superstar George Michael</a> and Status Quo’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38427459">Rick Parfitt</a> within a two-day period over Christmas might once have seemed extraordinary for the world of popular music. But it capped a year strewn with such losses. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/david-bowie-18483">David Bowie</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/prince-20207">Prince</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/leonard-cohen-33159">Leonard Cohen</a> were major-league headliners. But the list is long: George Martin, the Eagles’ Glenn Frey, Sharon Jones, Earth, Wind and Fire founder Maurice White, Leon Russell, Merle Haggard, Phife Dawg, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake. From top-billed stars, to producers and session players, few genres are left that have not mourned an important loss in 2016.</p>
<p>Social media has an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/aug/21/robin-williams-mourning-death-celebrities-social-media-viral">amplifying effect</a>, as shared clips and memories drive awareness, encourage public responses and magnify a sense of epidemic. </p>
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<p>It’s also possible that the post-war baby boom generation reaching old age – and the growing number of entertainers attaining household name appeal with the increase of mass media since the 1950s and 1960s – means that sheer demographics play a part. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36108133">There are simply more celebrities around, more ways to find out about their death</a> and a larger public space in which to respond. </p>
<p>Any way you cut it, though, 2016 has been a grim year for music – and indeed <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38446753">popular culture at large</a>. TV and cinema have fared no better – as I write this, news has just broken of the death of one of Hollywood’s favourite daughters, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/dec/27/carrie-fisher-celebrity-tributes">actor and writer Carrie Fisher</a>.</p>
<h2>That’s entertainment</h2>
<p>The widespread posting of recollections and thoughts of Parfitt and George Michael also illustrates an aspect of popular music that can get lost in eulogies to genre defining (or defying) “genius” – entertainment pure and simple, as a good in and of itself. Ascriptions of “authenticity” in popular music are often attached to a sense of folk roots – speaking a broader truth – or aspirations to “high art”, pushing the boundaries of a field. Both Rick Parfitt and George Michael, though very different, travelled at an oblique angle to these categories.</p>
<p>Status Quo evolved from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEV55fCkW80">psychedelically infused rock</a> to the straight ahead, 12-bar based, boogie-driven hits for which they became best known. Often noted for their lack of variety, including in their own <a href="http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/in-search-of-the-fourth-chord">self-mocking references</a>, they exemplified instead another, less frequently celebrated, aspect of the popular music continuum – reliability. </p>
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<p>There was almost a pantomime quality to the instant familiarity of their work. But, like it or not, pantomime is a staple of the British entertainment pantheon. Though hardly at the vanguard of musical invention, their “end-of-the-pier” appeal remained undimmed and saw continuing healthy audiences for live shows.</p>
<p>George Michael’s trajectory was different, and hinged on an overt effort to move from teen idol status with Wham to being taken seriously – his second solo album was titled <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/listen-without-prejudice-vol-1-19901004">Listen Without Prejudice</a> – as a songwriter and record producer. His success in doing so helped to seal the idea that crossing over between markets was a part of the pop process. </p>
<p>To an extent, his greatest lasting effect came outside of his music, though very much dependent on it, as his candour and humour in response to revelations about his sexuality drove forward the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/26/george-michael-lgbt-rights-i-never-had-a-problem-with-being-gay">mainstream acceptance of gay pop icons</a>. Likewise, if his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panayiotou_v_Sony_Music_Entertainment_(UK)_Ltd">lawsuit</a> against record label Sony was ultimately unsuccessful in court, his public battles helped to shine a light on the inequities of major label deals.</p>
<h2>Cultural currency of the mainstream</h2>
<p>Parfitt and Michael occupied different spaces within the mainstream, though illustrated just how wide it has become. If Status Quo were the exemplars of pre-punk 70s straight ahead rock shorn of frills, Michael’s tight productions laid down a marker for the glamour of 80s and 90s post-Thatcherite pop (somewhat ironically, given Wham’s <a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/margaret-thatcher-pop-music-band-aid-geldof-protest-songs">support for striking miners</a> and the ambivalent stance on consumerism lying beneath the sheen of his music). </p>
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<p>But, despite the differences between Parfitt’s unadorned rhythm guitar chug and Michael’s crafted pop confections, their work was characterised by an underlying factor: accessibility – something that is often overlooked but deceptively difficult to achieve and a necessary condition for the mass appeal that they sustained.</p>
<p>Certainly the tragic, early passing of entertainers is nothing new. When <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/British_Music_Hall.html?id=mtKwBAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y">music hall singer Mark Sheridan</a> took his own life in 1918, it was after a period in the commercial and critical doldrums, as the popularity of music hall waned. Yet despite his comparative obscurity now, his hit “I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside” has passed into the national consciousness.</p>
<p>Simon Frith – sociologist, music critic and founding chair of the Mercury Prize – <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Taking-Popular-Music-Seriously-Selected-Essays/Frith/p/book/9780754626794">has argued</a> that popular music helps us to negotiate the relationship between our inner and public lives – that: “Pop tastes do not just derive from our socially constructed identities; they also help to shape them”. From music hall through rock ‘n’ roll to Top of the Pops and televised extravaganzas such as Live Aid, one of pop’s abiding functions has been to serve as common cultural currency.</p>
<p>Status Quo and George Michael may not have been marked by Bowie’s chameleon-like propensity for redefining pop’s aesthetic limits. They may not have matched Cohen’s lyrical intricacy or Prince’s virtuosity. But large swaths of the British public will have danced and sung along enthusiastically and unironically to: “Whatever You Want” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” – threaded through the fabric of their social lives, from school discos to Christmas parties and weddings. </p>
<p>If the bad news is that the loss of beloved entertainers appears remorseless, the good news is that this shows how our stock of shared cultural memories is larger and richer than ever before.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70783/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Behr does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>2016 has been a grim year for pop music, but the latest celebrity deaths highlight the depth of our rich popular culture.Adam Behr, Lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music, Newcastle UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.