Who is George Michael’s ex-partner Kenny Goss?

Kenny Goss had been in a relationship with George Michael for more than a decade and was notably the ‘Careless Whisper’ singer’s partner when he was outed by the press in 1998.

Goss was one of those closest to Michael when the star was arrested for public indecency in a Beverly Hills public toilet – an incident the new Channel 4 documentary explores George Michael: Outwhich will air on Monday 6th March and Tuesday 7th March in the UK.

Goss is just one of many people providing insights into the times on the show, directed by Michael Ogden. Others include Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Holly Johnson, DJ Fat Tony, Will Young and Olly Alexander, and George’s childhood friend Andros Georgiou.

Here’s everything you need to know about Goss and his relationship with Michael, who Goss has dubbed “the love of my life.”

Who is Kenny Goss?

Kenny Goss is an art dealer and businessman who was born in Texas in 1958.

He graduated from Trinity High School where he was on the gymnastics and cheerleading teams.

He later worked for Lawrence Herkimer’s Cheerleader Supply Co. and moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s.

How long were Kenny Goss and George Michael together?

Goss and Michael dated for 13 years, from 1996 to 2009, after first meeting at a Los Angeles restaurant.

Their relationship became public knowledge in 1998 after Michael was exposed to the press following his arrest, which eventually led to the star being fined £500 and sentenced to 80 hours of community service.

Goss later told People he found out about the arrest after he was called by police – he initially feared Michael had been arrested for drinking and driving.

“They take him to the phone and I’m like, ‘Honey, what happened? Did you get a DUI?’” Goss recalled. “He says, ‘If so!'”

Recalling that “fateful day,” Goss revealed that helicopters began circling over the couple’s home while he was “just trying to understand the situation and reassure George that everything would be fine.”

Goss told Radio Times: “He was stressed. He went to bed, and then we got up the next morning and I said to him, ‘Yeah, there are still a couple of helicopters up there.’”

Over the course of their relationship, Goss and Michael have shared homes in Dallas, Texas, Goring-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and Highgate in north London.

In 2005, it was reported that the couple wanted to enter into a civil partnership. Michael said at the time that they would be holding a small, private ceremony “without the whole veil and dress thing.” However, it never took place.

Though they didn’t tie the knot, Goss and Michael stayed together through the noughties, with the relationship boasting inspirational songs, including 2004’s “Amazing.” patienceand later the track “Where I Hope You Are”.

In 2007, the pair founded the Goss-Michael Foundation, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting the Dallas, Texas community.

Why did they break up?

The couple ended their romantic relationship in 2009, but news of their breakup didn’t become public until 2011, when George announced about him on opening night symphony world tour that the couple had parted ways.

Both men struggled with alcohol and drug abuse during their relationship, according to Goss Telling Piers Morgan uncensored in 2022 that he had spent much of his time dating the former Wham! Stern “worries about him”.

He said: “Honestly, he hated the fact that I worried about him so much. What’s the line he says in one of his songs [‘Where I Hope You Are’]? He says, “I can see it in your eyes when you look at me like that, it tears me in two.” And it really did. I just didn’t know what to do.”

Goss also revealed that a psychologist urged him to stay with Michael despite difficulties in their relationship.

“I asked him if I should leave George and he looked me in the eye and said, ‘I think you’re the only reason George is staying alive,'” Goss told People in 2017.

When asked by the Dallas Morning News in 2017 if there was ever a time when Michael broke his heart, Goss replied, “Oh, I don’t know of any. We just had a really good, sweet relationship.”

Expanding on that, he said the breakup “was exactly what it was. We weren’t even mad at each other or anything.”

Goss added: “He really was the love of my life. And I think I was the love of his life.”

Did Kenny Goss inherit anything in George Michael’s will?

George Michael died of natural causes on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53.

In 2021, Goss received a £97million share of Michael’s estate after a long legal battle with the late singer’s estate.

Goss had originally sued Michael’s sisters Melanie and Yioda, father Kyriacos Panayiotou, and Christopher Organ, Michael’s agent and now co-executor of his estate, under the Inheritance (Provisions for Family and Dependents) Act 1975.

The law allows those who are financially dependent on someone to claim their estate even if they are excluded from the will.

A judge ruled that the precise terms of the settlement should be kept strictly confidential.

In 2022, Goss hit back at criticism of his decision to file claims from the estate, saying he was financially supported by the singer until his death after he stopped working to support the star during the couple’s relationship to support.

“I went from being a long-suffering Kenny who had to endure George’s infidelity to a money-hungry gigolo trying to take money from George’s family,” Goss told the Daily Mail. “It was hurtful and wrong.”

He continued: “I did nothing wrong. I gave up my career at George’s request, and by the time I’m 63, I probably won’t be able to get a full-time job again. George wanted me to be financially settled.”

George Michael: Outwill be broadcast on Channel 4 on March 6th & 7th at 9pm GMT.