In Honor of George Michael, Let's Relive the Magic of the Model-Filled ''Freedom'' Music Video

Because this envelope-pushing clip paved the way

By Lily Harrison Dec 26, 2016 2:46 AMTags
George MichaelMichael Putland/Getty Images

George Michael may be gone, but he's certainly not forgotten.

The late performer sang some of the most memorable songs to come out of the late 1980s and early 1990s, but he also had a huge hand in changing the music video industry after his big hit, "Freedom."

In fact, he pushed the envelope in 1990 after the model-filled music video for the upbeat track hit MTV.

David Fincher directed the artfully shot video, which Camilla Nickerson styled the handful of models.

But it wasn't just the star power of Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford that caught everyone's attention, it was also the fact that Michael was noticeably absent from the video.

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And those weren't the only famous faces to lip-sync their way through the catchy song in front of the cameras.

Male models John Pearson, Mario Sorrenti, Todo Segalla, Peter Formby and Scott Benoit also lent their talents to the screen.

Cut to 2016, and with a little help of Vogue magazine, a slew of more models paid tribute to the groundbreaking video with a present-day spin.

Irina Shayk, Adriana Lima, Anna Ewers, Andreea Diaconu, Carolyn Muprhy, Joan Smalls, Imaan Hammam, Liu Wen and Vittoria Ceretti all were shot prancing about New York City in couture while they sang along to the crowd pleaser.

One thing's for certain, both the singer and the music video will forever live on in our hearts.