George Michael Hospitalized

George Michael is reportedly worsening after being admitted on Monday to an Austrian hospital for the treatment of pneumonia. His management has announced the cancellation of the remaining dates on his world tour. Via yesterday’s Vienna Times:

He is currently in intensive care on the 13th floor of the red tower as a result of heart problems believed to be caused by the shortage of oxygen caused by his pneumonia. On Thursday afternoon he was fitted into a special full-body bed designed to keep all the pressure off his lungs and to help them to function – so far without any sign of improvement. Head doctor from the nearby Otto Wagner Hospital, Norbert Vetter, said that the reason a person with a lung problem was being treated in the cardiac unit probably lay in the fact that if there was a lung problem – and not enough oxygen being taken into the body – then that could affect the heart especially if the heart had already been damaged in some way. He added in the worst case the heart could cease to function.

Business Week quotes one of the singer’s doctors as saying he has “severe community acquired pneumonia.” Michael’s spokesman confirmed his condition as “bad.” Some tabloids are already rushing out with AIDS rumors and commenters on anti-gay sites like Free Republic are saying exactly the sort of things you’d expect from loving Christians.

UPDATE: Pink News reports that Michael’s team is denying the Vienna Times report about his heart.

The star’s spokeswoman said in a statement: “George Michael is ill with pneumonia and any other speculation regarding his illness is unfounded and untrue. “He is receiving excellent medical care, he is responding to treatment and slowly improving”. A source told the Daily Mail: “George has woken up and he’s in good spirits. Doctors are very pleased with him, and he’s making progress.” “He’s been in terrible pain. He’s had a dreadful chest infection, but he’s been in good care. He’s in very capable hands”.