Deon Estus, whose musical collaborations with George Michael and Wham! spawned massive hits, died Monday at age 65.
The bassist’s death was announced “with real sadness” in a heartfelt message on his Twitter page.
“Deon was mostly known as the third member of Wham!” the tweet reads. “Deon was passionate about music and loved interacting with his loyal fans.”
A cause of death was not released for Estus, who both toured and recorded music with the English pop duo Wham! featuring Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
Estus played the bass on both of the Wham! studio albums, beginning with 1983′s “Fantastic.” The second album, 1984′s “Make It Big,” included the popular songs “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Careless Whisper.”
The bassist also performed on Michael’s first two solo albums: 1987′s “Faith” and 1990′s “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1.”
Estus, who was born in Detroit, released his lone solo album, “Spell,” in 1989.” The album featured the hit “Heaven Help Me,” which climbed to the fifth spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year.
“Heaven Help Me” featured backing vocals from Michael, who died in 2016.
Estus’ death was mourned by his partner, Brenda Kaye Pierce.
“My dearest, closest partner and significant other of 4 years transitioned and all I can remember is our last conversation the day before,” Pierce wrote on Facebook. “My heart will need time to heal.”
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