UPDATE: George Michael’s Doctors Say He’s Improving, But Is His Pneumonia HIV-Related?
UPDATE (12/2/11 7:20 AM) - Doctors treating the 48-year-old music star say that his condition is “improving steadily with an impressive regression of pneumonic symptoms” and also confirmed that he is “not suffering from any other health issues.” While one blog has interpreted this comment to mean that Michael’s pneumonia is not HIV-related, the doctors’ quote itself is not nearly so explicit.
UPDATE (11/29/11 9:16AM) - Even though George Michael’s severe pneumonia is reportedly improving, his 75-year-old father Kyriacos Panayiotou, sisters Melanie (49) and Yioda (53) and Michael’s former boyfriend Kenny Goss have all gone to his bedside for a vigil. Doctors say they don’t know how long it will take him to recover, but that he needs rest and quiet—does that mean he won’t receive our singing telegram? Darn. She was gonna tap dance to “Faith.”
UPDATE (11/28/11 9:00AM) - George Michael’s porn star lover says the ailing pop star is “improving”. So put away those shades and wet hankies, you tragic queens, you.
On Monday, British singer George Michael checked into an Austrian hospital for pneumonia. Soon after he cancelled the remaining dates on his world tour. Now he’s in an intensive care unit with doctors worrying that his lack of oxygen may stop his heart; and even Michael’s management has called his condition “bad.” Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for the pop icon.
Most people with pneumonia do not have HIV. Stop portraying it as a HIV-linked illness. It isn’t. Pneumonia will generally strike anybody with a compromised immune system regardless of whether they have HIV or not.
As for references to George Michael’s visits to meeting places for men who have sex with anonymous men, I have a male acquaintance who would frequent these horrible places for a number of years. He would get the flu frequently. Once he stopped going, his health improved immediately.
If you want to commit suicide, go right ahead and visit these horrible places.
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The article gives precious few details about his condition other than saying doctors were concerned that a lack of oxygen would stop his heart – as it would for anyone. That said, pneumonia is serious for anyone. It scars the lungs. Viral pneumonia, which is deadly, is very serious – Jim Henson died from it. PCP, another pneumonia linked to HIV infection is also serious, but has become less common with the current medications AND it can be avoided by taking Bactrim – when I was more vulnerable, I took one double strength Bactrim a day to avert PCP. That said, George Michael has had serious bouts with drug use and that does damage to one’s system on its own – regardless of HIV status. So, let’s all take a deep breath and await furter detailas before we have the poor man dying of HIV complicatons. Also, Freddie Mercury died in the very early days of HIV/AIDS and things have improved – which does not need you can safely bareback!
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Good God, it was less than 10 days ago you were giving us the story of his new porn star boyfriend from some Cazzo film.
http://www.queerty.com/george-.....-20111118/
How fast things change. :O
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@FreddyMertz he´s in Viennas university hospital – that´s in Austria (not Australia)
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@jason: said…
“Most people with pneumonia do not have HIV. Stop portraying it as a HIV-linked illness. It isn’t. Pneumonia will generally strike anybody with a compromised immune system regardless of whether they have HIV or not.”
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That is a ridiculous comment. Most people with lung issues weren’t exposed to asbestos…and yet lung problems are absolutely linked to asbestos. Somebody Michaels age, with his access to health care, etc… who gets a sudden case of pneumonia that has him at death’s door is somewhat unusual and it is absolutely valid to think that it could be a symptom of an HIV infection.
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Just wanted to clarify a couple of things, because these two paragraphs are itching for a libel suit.
(1) When was Fadi Fawaz ever positively identified as Michael’s “lover” or boyfriend? Bad reporting is one thing, but gossip on a gay blog just reinforces every bad stereotype there is.
(2) The “his heart my stop” was another rumor that has since been squelched. A quick cursory glance of Google or any reputable news site will show that his doctors (identified by name) have issued a statement with his diagnosis of everyday run-of-the-mill pneumonia. ( http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31.....pean-tour/ )
I understand the need to have information, but let’s not get carried away with starting/spreading rumors when the facts are readily there. We already have enough to deal with in our community without doing it to ourselves.
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Does George Michael have viral or bacterial pneumonia or pneumo-cystis, HIV related pneumonia?
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@dvlaries: I doubt it. Probably the 75 y/o dad, the middle aged siblings, AND the porno BF are all focused more on the guy in the bed than anything else.
And (not to dvlaries, but others): I really take exception to the hollier than thou attitude about GM’s cruising. Yeah.. it’s unsafe, unseemly, and unhealthy, and not good for him on ANY level.. but almost all us will be getting sick and dying of preventible illness. You, me, your mom… all of us. He’s not in the hospital to cure cruising. He’s in for pneumonia.
The problem is the problem, as we used to say.
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I think he does have AIDS,because this is what we are talking about. Just why is this news??? Because he has AIDS. I like George and his music. I ‘ve notice his lips looked funny. Most of the guys I know with AIDS have the same look on their lips,kinda dry whitish look.
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It is completely possible to get pneumonia as a perfectly healthy person. I consider myself fit as a fiddle, very rarely get ill. I’m 27 now – about 4 years ago I caught viral pneumonia. Was in hospital for a week, off work for a month, and fully recovered. Just like that went from healthy to on a ventalator. It doesnt mean he had AIDs at all.
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@Lucky Bi: When you go blind from being a sanctimonious Internet twit who only grants people “redemption” by misrepresenting their life as a counterexample if how to live, shall we too grant you a conditional forgiveness predicated on whether or not you tell your story as a “cautionary tale”?
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Why does it matter if he has HIV or not? Hopefully, we treat people the same regardless of their HIV status. What is important is he is a great singer and songwriter.
Yes, healthy people can get pneumonia, but usually if you are otherwise healthy with no immune problems or not elderly or a child, it’s not that big a deal. You don’t have to go the hospital, but just take some antibiotics and you are fine in a week or so. So I think he may be HIV + but he may not. It really doesn’t matter and is none of our business.
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Yeah, keep gettin’ better George. 48 is way too soon. Too many worthwhile people -Heath Ledger, George Carlin, Steve Jobs- are checkin’ out too early while Dick Cheney continues to walk upright and breathe free air. It’s not natural.
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All you people screaming and yelling that this is a vicious article put a sock in it.
Everybody screams and yells that AIDS needs to be publicized and more attention needs to be paid so that govt. funds can be brought to bear more effectively.
Then when somebody may have the disease everybody screams that even mentioning it is nobody’s business.
Thats funny, when stars have cancer or Parkinsons etc… we hear all about it. The only people that are stigmitizing AIDS here are you.
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His boyfriend Fadi Fawaz and his lifelong friend David Austin are both happy. George is getting better. He has had a ridicilous scedual and did not take care of a sore throuth (sorry for my English). He has given concerts, were there probably have been people that wre not 100% well, and George is 48 years old. Could this all just have been to much to handle and have made the pneumonia happen? If the doctors say that all he has is pneumonia, then why do we all think something else? Stop doing that!
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Well, let’s see. I’m HIV- and had a BAD case of pneumonia a couple years ago. I guess my friends and family should have assumed I was HIV+ then, huh?
Ridiculous article. As for whether George is using condoms or not — curious as to where this information is on the web. Never heard any of this.
Bunch of conclusion jumping bitches.
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Does George Michael have AIDS? Honestly it may explain some of his inexplicable self destructive tendencies if he was positive and not in a good mental place about it. Honestly I wouldn’t have thought so critically of him in the past few years if I realized there was more behind his behavior.
Either way, positive or negative I hope the doctors can get a handle on this for him, he is far too young to be fighting death.