Boy George

Fusing a New Romantic worldview, synth-pop beats, and plenty of eyeliner, Boy George went on to become one of the most recognizable pop stars of the 1980s. The flamboyant singer-songwriter came to prominence after forming the band Culture Club, the Grammy Award-winning quartet who helped define the decade with its ubiquitous hits "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" (1982) and "Karma Chameleon" (1983). Yet even with the band's commercial success and winning the Best New Artist Grammy in 1984, George struggled with addiction. His rise to fame was featured in an elaborate stage musical financed by Rosie O'Donnell, "Taboo" (2002), which had a short Broadway run. Not one to hold back from telling his story through music, the always outspoken George released several memoirs that exposed the life of a singer who publicly fell from grace, yet would remain a pop music icon and symbol of the 1980s to his fans worldwide.