George Michael has supposedly been clean for “over a year and a half”.
The 50-year-old Freedom singer was arrested and jailed for driving under the influence of cannabis several years ago.
But according to George’s longtime friend David Austin he has been sober for quite some time.
“He has not smoked dope for over a year and a half now,” music producer David told British newspaper The Sun.
“It has completely changed his life.”
George drove his car into a storefront in July 2010, and he later served four weeks in prison for his DUI.
And following this incident the singer experienced a number of harrowing near-death events.
When he was unconscious for three weeks in December 2011 after falling ill with pneumonia, George’s friend David says loved ones were out of their minds with fear.
“I thought that was it when he had pneumonia. It was touch and go,” David recalled.
“We were all very worried as you would be with a family member.”
In May 2013 George fell out of his moving vehicle while driving on a motorway in the UK, which resulted in a head injury.
And although this accident left many of the star’s friends convinced he was a goner, apparently he was stone cold sober when it occurred.
“That was just an unfortunate accident – that is all that was,” David said.
George will release his sixth studio album Symphonica on March 17, a decade after his previous LP hit record store shelves.
