After word spread on Christmas day (Dec. 25) that pop icon George Michael had died, artists from every genre spoke out about the influence he'd had on their music.

Carrie Underwood was one of them, and according to her social media post, it was an influence she hadn't shared before.

Michael, 53, was first famous as one half of the British pop duo Wham! in the early '80s, and then as a solo artist in the late '80s and beyond.