Singing Through the Pain

Although he’s enjoying his latest North American tour now, singer George Michael says he’s been dealing with depression for nearly 20 years. And let’s face it, especially in the last decade, George Michael has not had much positive press.

There was the "indecent lewd act" in a men’s public bathroom in California in 1998. Then in 2006, he was arrested on drug charges and driving under the influence of drugs after he was found slumped over the wheel of his car.

Yet the dark years for the singer go back even further. He reached stardom by his early 20s when he was still struggling privately with his sexuality. In fact, he didn’t have his first relationship until he was 27 and that was with Anselmo Feleppa, whom he lost to HIV a few years later. Shortly after that, his mother passed away.

“The only thing that got me through it was my music. It survived. I wrote very, very little, but the little I wrote did well and kept my head above water. It was depression and shock which just went on for years,” Michael said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America."

Do you think George Michael’s run-ins with the law were tied to his depression? Are there poor decisions you made because of your depression? What helps you overcome your darkest days? [Associated Press]