Deon Estus, who was the longtime bass player for Wham! and George Michael, has died aged 65.
The sad news was confirmed in a statement shared on the musician’s official Twitter page.
It read: “It is with real sadness I post that Deon Estus passed away This Morning.”
This photo was taken during the #HeavenHelpMe photo shoot with my #brother #friend #artist #musician @GeorgeMichael #onlyloveisreal pic.twitter.com/WHmpKNIYDJ
— Deon Estus (@DeonEstus) October 5, 2018
“Deon was mostly known as the third member of Wham! Deon was passionate about music and loved interacting with his loyal fans. #onlyloveisreal.”
A picture of the musician holding a guitar accompanied the statement.
The musician’s cause of death has not been revealed.
It is with real sadness I post that Deon Estus passed away This Morning. Deon was mostly known as the third member of Wham! Deon was passionate about music and loved interacting with his loyal fans.#onlyloveisreal @billboard @RollingStone @BBCBreaking pic.twitter.com/uGje66JDTa
— Deon Estus (@DeonEstus) October 11, 2021
Heartbroken fans took to Twitter to react to the news.
One fan wrote: “Very saddened to have heard of the death today of #DeonEstus; amazing musician and singer, best known as the bass player of #Wham and for #GeorgeMichael as a solo artist. 1956-2021 thanks for the beautiful music Deon.”
Another said: “I LOVED this song from the first time I heard the Bass line way back in 1989. When I started playing the Bass a few yrs ago I put this song on my ‘Gotta learn to play this!’ list. ‘Heaven Help Me’ by Deon Estus is 1 of the most beautiful songs to me. May he Rest In Peace.”
Very saddened to have heard of the death today of #DeonEstus; amazing musician and singer, best known as the bass player of #Wham and for #GeorgeMichael as a solo artist. 1956-2021 thanks for the beautiful music Deon 💙 pic.twitter.com/nTD4DKXXYX
— Peter Irving (@irvingact3) October 11, 2021
I LOVED this song from the first time I heard the Bass line way back in 1989. When I started playing the Bass a few yrs ago I put this song on my “Gotta learn to play this!” list. “Heaven Help Me” by Deon Estus is 1 of the most beautiful songs to me. May he Rest In Peace 🙏🏾💜🕊🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/uSSWQQ5zgq
— stephanie l. ogle (@soulsis69) October 12, 2021
RIP to soulful pioneer Deon Estus. Many know him as the integral, vet bassist w/Wham and George Michael. I know him as the killer young bassist with Brainstorm (3rd from right) in ‘78 & ‘79. In recent years, he was a beloved added member of the reunited Switch. May he rest well. pic.twitter.com/JvPQEUmzZK
— DJ Soul Sister (@djsoulsister) October 11, 2021
Tonight we learn of the sad passing of Deon Estus. A familiar and friendly face from the very early days of WHAM! Our thoughts are with his family and friends. RIP Deon. You Have Been Loved.💜🙏 @DeonEstus @GeorgeMOfficial @GeorgeMichael @ajridgeley @PepsiDemacqueC @Shirliekemp pic.twitter.com/JztNFQtpyw
— ❤️ George Michael 25 ❤️ (@25georgemichael) October 11, 2021
Just heard the tragic news that Deon Estus has passed away. Over the years, Deon was bassist for Wham! George Michael, Marvin Gaye, Elton John and many more. A great man and bass player. RIP #DeonEstus pic.twitter.com/jgmemDZqBK
— Promenade Music (@PromMusic) October 11, 2021
