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George Michael shocked his fans last week when he was sent dramatically hurtling from a speeding car onto the M1, narrowly escaping death.
While speculation is rife as to the circumstances surrounding the incident, a friend of George Michael has insisted that the star wasn’t trying to commit suicide.
Claiming that George Michael, 49, was happy and healthy and working on new material, the source says that his bizarre near-death experience was merely an accident.
“There is no mystery – he was trying to shut the door,” George Michael’s friend told The Mirror, explaining away the high speed fall that stopped rush hour traffic.
“George has been perfectly happy and is in a great place. To insinuate that he threw himself out of the car is absurd,” they added.
Rumors over George Michael’s state of mind have been circulating sine the dramatic incident, but his pal insists that it he was just careless by opening the passenger door of the silver Range Rover while travelling in the fast lane on the M1.
“It was an accident and he is the first person to put his hand up and say <<I’m sorry>>. He deserves more sympathy,” his friend added.
George Michael shocked his fans last week when he was sent dramatically hurtling from a speeding car onto the M1, narrowly escaping death
The accident that happened near St Albans in Hertfordshire last Thursday, is currently being investigated by police, while George Michael remains in hospital with “some bumps and cuts”.
Driver Katherine Fox has recently spoken out about how she was forced to swerve and skid to a halt in order to avoid hitting George Michael.
She said that she didn’t know how the singer survived the rush-hour fall which left him dazed, covered in blood and with his tracksuit top ripped to shreds.
Katherine Fox, 23, who was driving behind in her Mini, braked before reversing to shield George Michael from other vehicles.
An off-duty policeman directed traffic around the scene. George Michael was airlifted to hospital where he was said by his spokesman last night to be “making good progress” five days after the drama.
But Katherine Fox, a children’s nanny, said: “I honestly don’t know how he survived. He had a bad cut on his face and the blood was running down over his mouth and teeth.
“He was in shock, breathing and conscious, but looked terrible. There was so much blood on his face that I didn’t recognize him.”
George Michael hit the third of four lanes on a northbound stretch of the motorway near St Albans, Hertfordshire. His trainers and trademark designer sunglasses were flung into another lane by the impact.
Katherine Fox said: “I saw blood everywhere and he was on the ground. I thought someone had run across the road and been hit until I was told what happened.
“Someone said he tried to open the car door and shut it again because it wasn’t shut properly and apparently fell out. I was told the car wasn’t speeding and was doing 70 mph.
“I was on the phone to the ambulance and said, <<You’d better come quick. This doesn’t look good>>. An off-duty policeman was telling me what to say and re-directing the traffic which had slowed down.”
At George Michael’s home in Highgate, North London, his boyfriend Fadi Fawaz, 39, said on the day after the incident: “He is perfectly fine. Of course I was worried, but I have spoken to him and he is good. I have no idea what happened, I wasn’t there.”
George Michael, who has enjoyed a successful solo career since finding fame in the 1980s duo Wham!, was close to death only 18 months ago after being struck down with pneumonia in Vienna.
The singer is currently banned from driving. Three years ago he was jailed for eight weeks for crashing a Range Rover into a shop in North London while under the influence of drugs.
George Michael was also disqualified from driving for five years, having served a two-year ban imposed in 2006 when he was convicted of driving while on drugs after being found slumped in his Mercedes.
An M1 motorway driver has described the moment she nearly ran over George Michael as he lay covered in blood on the road after falling from his car at 70 mph.
Katherine Fox, 23, was travelling behind a silver Range Rover when George Michael tumbled out of the passenger door onto the third lane of the carriageway.
She and other drivers managed to skid to a halt just in time before dashing to help George Michael, who was conscious but in shock, she told The Sun.
George Michael’s Adidas tracksuit was ripped and his trainers and trademark designer sunglasses had been torn off, she said.
Katherine Fox added: “There was a nasty cut on his forehead and the back of his head. There was blood all down his face and on his teeth. He was lucky he didn’t die.”
George Michael, 49, fell out of the car while travelling on a four-lane stretch of the M1 near St Albans, Hertfordshire, on Thursday.
Katherine Fox said she was told he may have been trying to open and close the door because it was not shut properly.
Two friends he was travelling with pulled over onto the hard shoulder and ran across to tend to the pop star.
Meanwhile, Katherine Fox reversed her Mini to a point in the carriageway where it shielded him from oncoming traffic as an off-duty police officer helped to direct vehicles around the scene.
George Michael fell out of his car at 70 mph while travelling on a four-lane stretch of M1 motorway
Katherine Fox, a children’s nanny, told The Sun: “George didn’t say anything, he just seemed in shock. He was sitting down against a car and in the arms of his friend.
“The guy holding him was quite scared. If he’d landed in the second lane he would have been hit by a car without a doubt.”
M1 motorway was closed while George Michael was airlifted to hospital with a head injury.
The singer was initially reported that he had been well enough to be discharged later that day.
But a spokeswoman for George Michael today confirmed he remains in hospital for observations, although she insisted he was “fine”.
She said: “He’s still in hospital, but this is standard practice to keep an eye on him.
“He has a couple of bumps and grazes and cuts to the head, but he’s making good progress and looking forward to getting out.”
Police are investigating the incident.
Speaking at George Michael’s home in Highgate, North London, hours after the crash, the singer’s boyfriend Fadi Fawaz, 39, said: “He is perfectly fine. Of course I was worried, but I have spoken to him and he is good.
“He suffered a few bruises but there is nothing to worry about. I have no idea what happened, I wasn’t there.”
George Michael was involved in a crash in his Range Rover during rush hour on the M1 motorway near St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, on Thursday.
George Michael, 49, was recovering last night after being airlifted to hospital with a head injury following the accident.
An ambulance crew was so concerned at the singer’s condition that a helicopter was summoned, and the motorway was closed for half an hour while it landed to take George Michael away.
Although the ambulance service said he suffered a head injury, George Michael was well enough to be discharged from hospital last night.
No other vehicle was involved in the incident, which happened just before 6 p.m. near the junction with the M25.
George Michael’s spokesman Connie Filippello said: “George Michael was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident, no third party was involved. He is being treated for superficial cuts and bruises but is fine. We have no further comment at this time.”
George Michael was involved in a crash in his Range Rover during rush hour on the M1 motorway near St Albans, Hertfordshire
The singer, who has enjoyed a successful solo career since finding fame in the 1980s duo Wham!, is banned from driving.
In 2010, George Michael he was jailed for eight weeks for crashing a Range Rover into a shop in north London while under the influence of drugs.
He was also disqualified from driving for five years, having served a two-year ban imposed in 2006 when he was convicted of driving while on drugs after being found slumped in his Mercedes.
Speaking at the singer’s home in Highgate, North London, last night, George Michael’s boyfriend Fadi Fawaz, 39, said: “He is perfectly fine. Of course I was worried, but I have spoken to him and he is good.
“He suffered a few bruises but there is nothing to worry about. I have no idea what happened, I wasn’t there.”
Hertfordshire Police said: “The exact circumstances of what happened are unclear at this time, and until further investigations have been carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said that a 49-year-old man “sustained a head injury and following treatment, stabilization and immobilization by land and air ambulance crews, he was flown to hospital for further care”.
Only 18 months ago, George Michael – real name Georgios Panayiotou – spent a month fighting for his life in an Austrian hospital after a severe bout of pneumonia. George Michael fell ill while preparing for a concert in Vienna, and needed a tracheotomy to keep him breathing when he slipped into a coma.
George Michael has been airlifted to hospital with a head injury following a crash on the M1 motorway in UK.
George Michael, 49, remains in hospital after the crash at junction 6A, near St Albans, Hertfordshire.
A spokesman for the former Wham! star confirmed he had been involved in an accident on Thursday but said the singer only had “superficial cuts” and was “fine”.
George Michael was a passenger in a Range Rover and no other vehicles were involved, the spokesman added.
Connie Filippello, spokesman for George Michael, said: “George Michael was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident yesterday evening. No third party was involved.
“We have no further comment at this time.”
George Michael has been airlifted to hospital with a head injury following a crash on the M1 motorway
Ambulance spokesman Gary Sanderson said: “The man who we believe to be in his 40s sustained a head injury and following treatment, stabilization and immobilization by land and air ambulance crews, he was flown to hospital for further care.”
Hertfordshire Police said the northbound carriageway of the road was closed for an hour while emergency services dealt with the incident.
Two people were in the car at the time of the crash at about 17:50 BST. No arrests have been made.
A police spokesman said: “The exact circumstances of what happened are unclear at this time and until further investigations have been carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
In September 2010, George Michael was given an eight-week sentence for crashing his car while under the influence of cannabis.
The singer was also fined £1,250 ($1,950) at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in London and given a five-year driving ban.
George Michael was arrested in Hampstead, north London, after driving his Range Rover into a branch of photographic store Snappy Snaps.
George Michael has cancelled the Australian leg of his tour due to “major anxiety” following his battle with pneumonia at the end of last year.
In a statement on his website, George Michael said the cancellation of nine concerts “breaks my heart”.
The singer confirmed he would still fulfill his UK dates in October but would then undergo treatment for his condition.
George Michael suffered from life-threatening pneumonia and spent a month in a Vienna hospital last winter.
The ex-Wham singer added in his statement: “I have tried in vain to work my way through the trauma that the doctors who saved my life warned me I would experience.
“They recommended complete rest and the type of post-traumatic counseling which is available in cases like mine but I’m afraid I believed (wrongly) that making music and getting out there to perform for the audiences that bring me such joy would be therapy enough in itself.”
He has already performed numerous dates across Europe over the last month.
George Michael added that despite enjoying his recent performances, “unfortunately, I seriously underestimated how difficult this year would be”.
The nine cancelled concerts were due to take place in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Hunter Valley.
The Symphonica tour was resumed this autumn after it was pulled when he became ill in November last year, just hours before he was due to perform in Vienna.
George Michael had completed 46 of the original 65 dates when he contracted pneumonia.
George Michael says he has no regrets about performing his new single at the London 2012 closing ceremony.
George Michael’s performance of White Light led some to accuse him of using Sunday night’s event to promote his new material.
“I hope you are not bothered by the press reports of my scandalous <<promotion>>!!!” George Michael told his fans via Twitter on Tuesday.
The performance at the Olympic Stadium was the 49-year-old’s first since his life-threatening battle with pneumonia.
George Michael spent a month in hospital in Vienna after contracting the illness last year.
George Michael says he has no regrets about performing his new single at the London 2012 closing ceremony
Sunday’s extravaganza also included musical performances from Annie Lennox, Take That, the Spice Girls and The Who. Each sang one or more of their best-known songs.
George Michael, wearing sunglasses and dressed in black leather, came on stage in front of 80,000 people to sing his 1990 hit Freedom.
He followed it with White Light, a slower number inspired by his near-death experience.
Some viewers felt this was inappropriate and expressed their objections via Twitter.
“Not the time for new single promo,” said Steve Anderson, a musical director for Kylie Minogue and Westlife.
“I’m genuinely surprised he was allowed to do this.”
In his own Twitter postings, George Michael said: “It was my one chance on tv to thank you all for your loyalty and prayers, and I took it.”
“And I don’t regret it,” he added.
Several artists have enjoyed a sales boost since the show, with Elbow’s One Day Like This and Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill both entering the iTunes Top 10.
George Michael’s White Light reached number two on Sunday and was ranked in 22nd place in the iTunes countdown on Tuesday afternoon.
The closing ceremony, described by organizers as “A Symphony of British Music”, was watched at its peak by 26.3 million viewers in the UK.
George Michael has revealed he has a five-week gap in his memory from when he was battling pneumonia late last year.
During an interview with BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans, George said that it was “touch and go” whether he would survive his time in hospital.
George Michael, 48, said he had to learn to walk after the illness, which left him fighting for his life, as his muscles had wasted away.
The star added: “It’s like I just dodged a bullet.”
George Michael was forced to cancel a string of shows while he was treated in the Austrian capital Vienna, where he said medics “downplayed” his condition to avoid a “death watch kind of thing”.
The true extent of his illness did not become public until after his release from hospital.
George Michael has revealed he has a five-week gap in his memory from when he was battling pneumonia late last year
George Michael admitted the severity of his condition could have been avoided if he had followed advice to get checked out, when a temperature forced him to pull out of a show at the Royal Albert Hall a few weeks earlier.
“I took it for granted that I’d just fought off flu,” the former Wham star told Evans.
“I went and played for another three weeks in Europe. And then one afternoon I was having lunch and suddenly felt really odd and said to everyone that I had to go and lay down for half an hour on my own,” he added.
“And that’s the last thing I remember for five weeks. It was three weeks of them trying to save my life and two weeks awake.”
George Michael has written new single White Light about his near death experiences.
Kate Moss features in the video, more than 20 years after missing out on starring in his supermodel-filled promo for his single Freedom.
George Michael told Chris Evans in an interview for his breakfast show that he was “very close” to death on several occasions, and still found it upsetting to talk about.
“When something like that happens in such a random fashion, I think it takes a while to think that life is safe again.”
He continued: “I literally had to learn to walk again and weird stuff, because when they keep you sedated for that long your muscles literally atrophy at an incredible rate. And I just woke up like this feeble old man.”
In March this year George Michael announced rescheduled dates for The Symphonica tour, starting on 4 September with a newly-added date in Vienna.
He said he would donate 1,000 tickets to the medical staff in the city who had looked after him.
George Michael also confirmed to Chris Evans that he is scheduled to perform at the Olympics closing ceremony in August.
“That’s the plan yes,” he said.
“I’ll be playing a couple of songs to kick off the concert at the end.”
