George Michael’s Penchant For Drugs & Toilets | Is This The End Of His Career?

George Michael’s latest arrest in a public toilet on suspicion of drug possession is just the latest in a long line of embarrassing and quite openly illegal acts committed by the British singer. But he always seems to comes back from them. Could this finally be the incident that kills his career?

I’ve never really been a fan of George Michael. I can see the appeal, and some of his big hits are definitely up there with the best of British. But from his days in Wham through to his burgeoning solo career, he’s never really been my favourite artist in the world, or even come close to the top 50.

While his private life should really remain separate from his public life, the two have become inextricably intertwined over the past few years as Michael has found that he does in his spare time can sometimes become important to his career.

George Michael came out as gay in 1998, even though the world and his dog knew he was gay well before any kind of official announcement was made. This public pronouncement of his sexuality came about after he was arrested for engaging in a lewd act in a public toilet in Beverly Hills, California.

Then in 2006, George Michael was arrested twice on separate occasions over alleged drugs offences. One saw him cautioned over possession of cannabis, while the other saw him fall asleep at the wheel of his car after allegedly smoking cannabis.

On September 19th, 2008, Michael was arrested again, this time in a public toilet in the Hampstead Heath area of London over possession of Class C (cannabis) and Class A (crack cocaine) drugs. He received yet another police caution for the offence and has since apologised to his fans.

Now, he’s reportedly fled to his home in the south of France to get away from the press attention and possibly to also try and kick his habit. The thing is, with Michael’s career clearly in free-fall, could this latest incident tarnish his image so much that signals the end of his career?

Even if it doesn’t, could the public attention on his private life make him want to take an extended time out of the public eye? Michael has already stated that his current 25 Live tour is to be his last, and with a no-holds-barred autobiography also on the way, he already seems to be winding his singing career down.

As I said before, George Michael is not a favourite of mine, but if he retires in light of this latest scandal, it would be a loss to British music.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]