Estus — born Jeffery Dean Estus in Detroit in 1956 — had a top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Heaven Help Me,” billed to Deon Estus with George Michael. The song, which was co-written and featured background vocals from Michael, peaked at No. 3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Adult Contemporary charts.
“Heaven Help Me” was from Estus’ only album, Spell, released in 1989, which also produced the Dance Club Songs hit “Me or the Rumours” and the Adult Contemporary top 20 title track.
In addition to his work with Wham! and Michael, according to Estus’ bio, he played bass with Tina Turner, Elton John, Marvin Gaye, Frank Zappa and Annie Lennox.
In an interview with Billboard following the Christmas Day death of Michael in 2016, Estus said, “I’m still in shock. It hasn’t quite hit me yet, but it helps to talk about it and to think about all those fantastic tours, all those records, all the people he’s helped and all the things he’s done, which is a lot. I was blessed to have known him.”
Watch Estus perform “Heaven Help Me” on the Netherlands’ CountDown in 1989 below:
