Andrew Ridgeley recalls the last time he saw Wham! bandmate George Michael alive

Andrew Ridgeley, best known as one-half of the '80s pop group Wham!, is remembering his beloved bandmate, George Michael, who died on Christmas Day in 2016 at the age of 53.

Ridgeley, 60, spoke with PEOPLE ahead of the July 5 release of the Netflix documentary, Wham!, and revealed that the last time he saw Michael, they played Scrabble.

Jeff Spicer/BAFTA/Getty for BAFTA; Brian Rasic/Getty Andrew Ridgeley in 2023; George Michael in 2012

According to Ridgeley, Michael "was a big fan [of the board game] and we'd have regular games of Scrabble."

"He'd beaten me the week before, and I was exacting my revenge," the singer-songwriter shared. "It took us right back to just... the essence of our schoolboy friendship and one-upmanship. It was a game that stimulated him, and me also."

Ridgeley added, "That was a few months prior to his passing," noting that he wasn't Michael's "only Scrabble partner."

Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in 1984

As Ridgeley mentioned, he and Michael met as schoolboys, forming a short-lived ska band with five other friends before that group splintered and the duo soldiered on as Wham!.

They secured a record deal in 1982 and their second studio album Make It Big did just that, propelling them to superstardom on the strength of the singles "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper."

With Michael's ambitions outstripping the group, Wham! broke up in 1986 and Michael went on to a very successful solo career. That career is being honored this year as George Michael is among the inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — something Ridgeley is adamant his late friend and former bandmate deserves.

"He would be very rightly proud, and he deserves his place there. You know, he is a genuine legend and an icon of contemporary music," Ridgeley told PEOPLE. "I said so in my tribute to him at the Brits, that he was a supernova in a firmament of shining lights and stars, and he was probably the finest singing voice and songwriter of his generation. There ain't too many that held a candle to him."

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