In 1998, George Michael told CNN that he had his first same-sex relationship at age 27 in 1990. Not long after, he met the man who would become one of the great loves of his life — for however tragically and briefly.

At a Wham! reunion concert in Rio de Janeiro in 1991, Michael met a fan seven years his elder named Anselmo Feleppa, and it was virtually love at first sight. "The moment I looked at him, it was just like, 'wow, I've met someone I actually think I'm gonna fall in love with rather than just want their body for a while,'" Michael told Behind the Music. Within days, the two were a couple, but just two months into the relationship, Feleppa fell ill, developing a rash on his chest and a flu that he couldn't shake. Doctors confirmed Michael's fear and suspicion that Feleppa had contracted AIDS. In the documentary George Michael: Freedom (via Hello), the pop star explained that he and Feleppa awaited the results of the test over Christmas Day 1991, which Michael called the "darkest, most frightening time of my life," all the while keeping their relationship (and struggle) secret from their families and the media.

In March 1993, scarcely two years after he connected with Michael, Feleppa suffered a brain hemorrhage during a medical procedure and passed away at age 36.

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