George Michael Remains Hospitalized Following Bizarre Car Accident

By Laura Ferreiro

Singer George Michael has been having a rough time of it lately. The former Wham! frontman remains hospitalized five days after he was involved in a car accident on Thursday, where he reportedly he fell out of the Range Rover he was riding in on the M1 highway in London.

A spokesperson for the "Careless Whisper" singer said in a statement Tuesday that Michael's condition is improving and he's making progress.

"I can confirm that George remains in hospital but purely as a standard precaution for observation because he suffered some bumps and cuts to his head," the spokeswoman said. "But he's making good progress, he's fine, and he's really looking forward to getting home," reports the New York Daily News.

Michael's car was reportedly the only vehicle involved in the accident, and a driver on the highway who witnessed the accident told British tabloid The Sun that the singer fell out of the vehicle in front of her and she skidded to a halt to avoid hitting him. Katherine Fox said she then used her car to shield him from other vehicles, and that Michael had "nasty cuts" on his head and there was a lot of blood. "He was lucky he didn't die," she said.

Although the 49-year-old British singer has sold an estimated 100 million records throughout his successful musical career, it's his personal life and erratic behavior that have been grabbing headlines the past few years.

In 2010, Michael ran his car into a shop in London while he was allegedly high on cannabis, and in 2009 he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after hitting a truck with his Range Rover. Prior to that he had been banned from driving because of drug-related incidents. In 1998 he was arrested in California for allegedly engaging in a lewd act in a public restroom.

More recently, Michael cancelled an Australian tour due to "major anxiety" brought on by a 2011 battle with severe pneumonia in Vienna. He was treated in intensive care for a month.