jackybetman: George Michael Axes Tour Over Anxiety Issues

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

George Michael Axes Tour Over Anxiety Issues

George Michael has canceled his Australian tour after announcing he was suffering from “major anxiety” as he continues to recover from a his almost fatal case of pneumonia.

The singer stated he didn’t realize how hard the recovery would be after his illness last year.

Michael said he will undergo further treatment to help him cope with the mental issues that were caused by his brush with death.

The 49-year-old star spent a month in a hospital in Vienna, Austria, last November where they weren’t certain he would survive.

George has continued to sing and performed “White Light” at the Olympic Games closing ceremony, a track that was about his near fatal illness.

In a statement issued by entertainment promoter Dainty Group yesterday, Michael said the cancellation of his Australian tour next month “breaks my heart”.

George Michael said, “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.

“Although I was right to believe that the shows would bring me great happiness and that my voice would recover completely (I truly think that some of my recent performances have been my best ever) I was wrong to think I could work my way through the major anxiety that has plagued me since I left Austria last December”.

The shows that were canceled were in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Hunter Valley.

Michael still plans to finish the remainder of his UK shows before seeking treatment for post traumatic stress.

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