Who Is Boy George, What's His Real Name, How Old Is He And What Is ...

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MUSIC legend Boy George is known and loved for being the flamboyant front man of Culture Club.

Now, he’s set to appear on the judging panel of a new Virgin Media talent show called The Big Deal, hosted by Vogue Williams.

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Here’s everything you need to know about Boy George ahead of the big debut.

WHO IS BOY GEORGE?

Boy George is best known for being the lead singer of the group Culture Club.

The singer-songwriter has also dabbled in DJ-ing, being a fashion designer, photography and was also a record producer.

Boy George has two older brothers; Kevin and Richard, two younger brothers; Gerald and David, and one younger sister; Siobhan.

Before finding fame, Boy George lived in squats around the Warren Street area of Central London and was good friends with fellow 80s singer Marilyn.

Born in Eltham, London, his father is of Irish descent and his mum is a native Dub.

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WHAT IS HIS REAL NAME?

His real name is George Alan O’Dowd but he chose his stage name when he formed Culture Club in the early 1980s.

He performed under the previous stage name Lieutenant Lush during his time with the group Bow Wow Wow.

During his career, Boy George has put his name to a number of different projects including DJ sets, fashion design and photography.

HOW OLD IS HE?

Boy George recently stunned his fans on Lorraine Kelly’s ITV talk show as he revealed his real age.

For 40 years the star has made waves with his iconic music with Culture Club and on June 14 he celebrated turning 60 years old.

Boy George also revealed how he spent his 60th in Ireland to film something for TV but made sure to spend some time with family and friends.

He said it was “very quiet” which he liked as “everyone was pressuring me to have a massive party which felt very inappropriate”.

He added: “I actually ended up having a lovely birthday because I was surrounded by people I love and felt comfortable.”

WHAT IS HE BEST KNOWN FOR?

Apart from Boy George’s androgynous style, he’s best known for his time in the pop group Culture Club.

Culture Club were one of the biggest bands of the 80s and during that time, the band had huge hits with Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, Time (Clock of the Heart) and Karma Chameleon.

Boy George was also one of the vocals on the original Band Aid track, Do They Know It’s Christmas? in 1984.

In 1985 he provided backing vocals on Feargal Sharkey’s number one hit A Good Heart.

Boy George embarked on a solo career in 1986 after Culture Club disbanded and had hits with singles Everything I Own and The Crying Game.

He released an autobiography, Take It Like A Man in 1995 and in 2005, George released his second autobiography called Straight.

George joined the Voice UK in 2016 and will this year appear as a judge on Virgin Media’s The Big Deal.

Boy George will appear alongside some other big names including Deirdre O’Kane, Jedward, Lyra and Aston Merrygold.

RECOMMENDED STORIES

Irish viewers will get a first look at Vogue on The Big Deal this Saturday night when the show airs on Virgin Media at 8pm.

And ratings are expected to be good as RTE are running a movie against the new talent show this Saturday night.

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