Wham! and George Michael bass player Deon Estus dies, aged 65

12 October 2021, 09:58 | Updated: 12 October 2021, 10:22

Deon Estus also had a massive solo hit in 1989 with 'Heaven Help Me'.

Deon Estus, who found fame as the bass player for Wham!, has died at the age of 65.

Born Jeffery Dean Estus in Detroit, the musician had his first success in the music business as part of the R&B group Brainstorm.

He met George Michael in Ireland and they became friends, with Estus joining the group as their bass player early on in their career.

When Michael went solo, Estus played on his first two solo albums, Faith and Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, and also performed live with him.

Deon Estus - Heaven Help Me (RELAID AUDIO)

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"It is with real sadness I post that Deon Estus passed away This Morning," read a post on the musician's official Twitter feed yesterday (October 11).

"Deon was mostly known as the third member of Wham! Deon was passionate about music and loved interacting with his loyal fans."

As well as being an in-demand session player throughout his career for the likes of Tina Turner, Annie Lennox and Elton John, Estus released the solo album Spell in 1989.

The album contained the hit single 'Heaven Help Me', which was co-written with Michael and also featured the singer on backing vocals. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100.