Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! to publish memoir of his and George Michael’s halcyon days

Andrew Ridgeley, one half of the iconic British pop duo Wham! will tell the story of the legendary ’80s group and his friendship with bandmate George Michael in a new memoir.

Penguin Random House imprint Dutton will publish “Wham! George & Me” this fall, the publisher said in a news release.

Wham! was founded by Ridgeley and Michael in 1981; the two had been schoolmates in Bushey, England. Their early singles “Young Guns (Go for It),” “Bad Boys” and “Club Tropicana” were all hits in Britain but didn’t make much of a splash in the U.S.

That changed in 1984 with the release of their mega-hit single “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” which they followed up with “Careless Whisper” and “Last Christmas,” the latter of which is still a staple on pop radio during the holiday season.

Wham! broke up in 1986, ending their career as a band with a famous concert at Wembley Stadium.

“They made and broke iconic records, they were treated like gods, but they stayed true to their friendship and ultimately to themselves,” Dutton said of the duo in a news release. “It was a party that seemed as if it would never end. And then it did, in front of tens of thousands of tearful fans at Wembley Stadium in 1986.”

Dutton said Ridgeley’s book will focus on the band’s relatively short career.

“Andrew’s memoir covers in wonderful detail those years, up until that last iconic concert: the scrapes, the laughs, the relationships, the good and the bad. It’s a unique and one-and-only time to remember that era, that band and those boys,” the publisher said.

Ridgeley pursued careers in auto racing and acting after the breakup of Wham! and released one solo album, “Son of Albert,” which was mostly panned by critics. He lives in England.

“Wham! George & Me,” Ridgeley’s first book, is slated for release on Oct. 8.