George Michael’s final years were punctuated by a harrowing descent into illegal substances, especially the so-called “date rape” drug GHB. After the Careless Whisper singer finished his 25 Live Tour in 2008, he “lived in a haze,” according to a new book.
In September 2008, the Wham! the frontman was discovered by police in an underground men’s room in the Heath. After searching for Michael, they found marijuana and crack cocaine and arrested him. Months later, he was arrested yet again after a car accident and police found him “drenched in sweat” with “gaping eyes and dilated pupils.”
What did George Michael suffer from?
Michael was found dead at age 53 on Christmas Day 2016 at his home northwest of London. The cause was heart disease dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis — and a fatty liver.
Outside music, Michael was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser. His personal life, drug use, and legal troubles made headlines during the late 1990s and 2000s, as he was arrested for public lewdness in 1998 and was arrested for multiple drug-related offenses after that time. Michael came out as gay in 1998.