Everyone remembers the shorts. Those tiny, neon-colored hot pants from the "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" video. In the mid-80s, you couldn't escape them. You couldn't escape the hair, either. But while George Michael went on to become a global deity of soul-pop, a lot of people started asking a blunt question: what did Andrew Ridgeley do after Wham! anyway?
Honestly, the common narrative is that he just vanished into a pile of royalty checks. While those checks are very real—thanks to co-writing "Careless Whisper"—his actual life after that final 1986 Wembley concert was a bizarre, zig-zagging journey through race tracks, acting schools, and environmental activism. He didn't just retire to a lounge chair. He tried to reinvent himself, failed quite spectacularly at a few things, and eventually found a version of peace that most celebrities never touch.
The Short-Lived Need for Speed in Monaco
Imagine being 23 years old. You’ve just finished playing to 72,000 screaming fans. Your band is the biggest thing on the planet, and then... it's over. George is heading for "Faith"-era superstardom. Andrew? He moved to Monaco.
He wasn't there for the tax breaks (well, maybe a little). He wanted to be a Formula Three racing driver. It sounds like a mid-life crisis, but he was barely out of his teens. He joined David Price Racing in 1986, trading the stage for a Reynard 863 chassis.
It didn't go well.
Basically, he was in over his head. Racing at that level requires a lifetime of karting and a specific kind of technical obsession. Andrew had the passion but not the polish. He was involved in several crashes, including a six-car pile-up at the Albi circuit in France. Sponsors were hard to find—turns out, brands were hesitant to back a "pop star" who kept denting the equipment. By the time 1986 ended, the racing dream was pretty much a smoking wreck.
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The Los Angeles Acting Experiment
After the cars stopped spinning, Ridgeley headed to Los Angeles. This was the "try everything" phase. He took acting classes, trying to see if the charisma that worked in music videos would translate to the big screen. It didn't.
He stayed in LA for a bit, but he realized quickly that he hated the "hustle." In Wham!, the fame felt like a byproduct of a friendship. In Hollywood, the fame felt like the only currency. He missed home. By 1990, he was back in Britain, ready to give music one last shot—on his own terms.
The "Son of Albert" Disaster
If you want to find a rare CD, look for Son of Albert. Released in May 1990, it was Andrew's only solo album. He named it after his father, Alberto, and it was a total 180-degree turn from the pop sheen of Wham!.
Andrew wanted to be a rock star. We’re talking leather jackets, heavy guitars, and a "macho" vibe that the press dubbed "Randy Andy." The album featured his brother Paul on drums and even had George Michael on backing vocals for the track "Red Dress."
The Critics Were Brutal
There’s no nice way to put it: the reviews were savage. Rolling Stone famously wrote that on a scale of credibility, Ridgeley fell somewhere between "LaToya Jackson and oblivion."
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- The Sound: It felt like "hair metal" at a time when the world was moving toward grunge.
- The Success: It peaked at #130 on the Billboard 200. In the UK? It didn't even chart.
Ridgeley later admitted the album might have been "ill-conceived" or at least poorly timed. He told The Independent years later that the whole thing was actually meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek—a satire of male rock bravado—but nobody got the joke. He basically retired from professional music recording shortly after.
Finding a Purpose in the Cornish Surf
This is where the story gets actually interesting. In the early 90s, Andrew moved to Cornwall with his long-time partner, Keren Woodward (of Bananarama fame). They lived in a restored 15th-century farmhouse.
While surfing off the coast with his brother, they both got sick from raw sewage being pumped into the ocean. Instead of just complaining to his neighbors, Andrew became a serious environmental activist. He joined Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).
He wasn't just a celebrity mascot. He used his name and his money to lobby for cleaner water laws. He actually helped pass legislation that virtually eliminated certain bacterial illnesses at UK beaches. It was a massive win, and arguably a bigger legacy than any solo record could have provided.
How He Made His Millions (Without Touring)
You might wonder how he stayed so wealthy while living a quiet life in a farmhouse. It all comes down to a song he co-wrote when he was still a teenager: "Careless Whisper."
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Even though it’s often associated with George Michael’s solo career, Andrew has a co-writing credit. That one song alone has generated tens of millions of dollars. Combine that with the fact that "Last Christmas" tops the charts every single December like clockwork, and you realize Andrew Ridgeley is one of the most successful "retired" men in history.
His net worth is estimated to be around $40 million. He didn't need a solo career. He had a masterpiece in the bank.
The Final Years with George
There’s a misconception that they fell out. They didn't. They remained incredibly close until George’s death on Christmas Day, 2016. Andrew was devastated. He wrote a moving memoir, Wham! George & Me, in 2019 to set the record straight about their friendship.
He didn't want the spotlight back; he just wanted people to know that Wham! was a partnership built on a schoolboy bond, not a manufactured pop product.
Recent Ventures (2024-2026)
Lately, Andrew has been:
- Cycling for Charity: He’s a hardcore road cyclist, participating in events like the Dallaglio Cycle Slam to raise money for young people.
- Promoting the Legacy: He was heavily involved in the 2023 Netflix documentary and the induction of George Michael into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Living Honestly: He’s been seen in his local Cornwall pubs, grabbing a pint of Oakham Ale, living like a "normal bloke."
What You Can Learn from the Ridgeley Way
If you’re looking for a "next step" in understanding how to handle success, look at how Andrew navigated the "Second Act" of his life. He didn't chase a fading spotlight. He pivoted.
- Protect your peace: Andrew realized he hated the intrusion of fame and stepped away from it early. If you're feeling burnt out, look at what parts of your "success" are actually making you miserable.
- Diversify your passions: From racing to environmentalism to cycling, he never let "pop star" be his only identity.
- Invest in friendships: His loyalty to George Michael survived the brutal music industry, proving that the people you start with are often more important than the accolades you finish with.
If you want to see the real Andrew, skip the solo album and watch the 2023 Netflix Wham! documentary. It’s the most honest look at the guy who decided that being half of the world's favorite duo was plenty, and that the rest of his life belonged to him.