George Michael is steadily improving from his severe bout of pneumonia, but is continuing his treatment at a Vienna hospital. The singer, 48, was forced to cancel his entire European tour after being struck down with the illness last week.
According to the Press Association, the former Wham! frontman has been in intensive care because of the "severity and extension" of the illness, but apparently has no further underlying health problems and should make a full recovery. In a statement, doctors Gottfried Locker and Christoph Zielinski said, "We are happy to announce that Mr Michael is improving steadily with an impressive regression of pneumonic symptoms and follows a steady rate of improvement as hoped", adding, "There are no other health issues with regards to the patient other than the underlying pneumonic disorder, and no further measures had to be taken". A recent report in the UK's Daily Mirror suggested the singer is likely to spend Christmas in hospital and although the doctors refused to put a time frame on his recover, they did state, "Mr Michael is receiving precisely the same treatment as any ordinary patient in Austria would receive at the hospital for this disease".
The Grammy Award winning solo singer has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide. His recent Symphonica tour featured a 41-piece orchestra and had received rave reviews from critics.