Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney lovingly spoof Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' single cover
So here's an early Christmas present for fans of the inimitable George Michael, whose 1984 Wham! single, "Last Christmas," continues to be a Yuletide staple.
Actors Ryan Reynolds, 47, and Rob McElhenney, 46, took on the personas of Wham! bandmates Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, respectively, in recreating the iconic cover of Wham!'s debut album, "Fantastic."
In an Instagram post Monday, the duo, who together are owners of the Welsh soccer team Wrexham, offered up their loving parody as a way to salute their fans: Their "Fantastic" spoof cover doesn't say "Wham!" at the top, but rather "Wrexham!"
In addition to the "Fantastic" cover tribute, Reynolds ("Ghosted," "Spirited") and McElhenney ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") also shared a (frankly uncanny) photo as Michael and Ridgeley as they appeared on the sleeve of the "Last Christmas" single.
Michael, who this year was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, rose to fame as part of the hit-making machine Wham! before breaking off on his own, scoring hits immediately in 1987 with his debut solo album "Faith."
For much of his life, Michael, who came from a strict family of Greeks who had immigrated to London, hid his homosexuality. That stance changed radically in 1998, when he came out and soon celebrated being gay through both song and activism.
Michael, 53, died of natural causes at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day 2016.
More:Andrew Ridgeley recalls the last time he saw George Michael before untimely death