News 'He hasn't smoked dope for over a year and a half': George Michael quit cannabis after waking from coma speaking in West Country accent

[George Michael]

George Michael stopped smoking cannabis after he started talking in a West Country accent.

The 50-year-old singer, who admitted in 2009 he had decreased his daily amount from 25 to 'seven or eight' joints, was in a coma for three weeks in 2011 after suffering from pneumonia and was shocked to wake-up speaking in a Bristolian accent rather than his usual North London twang.

But George's producer David Austin has revealed he has now quit the drug altogether and it has been a life-changing experience for him.

He told the Daily Mirror newspaper's Hannah Hope: 'I thought that was it when he had pneumonia. It was touch and go. We were all very worried as you would be with a family member.'

'He has not smoked dope for over a year and a half now. It has completely changed his life.'

The Faith hitmaker has previously spoken about his shock at waking up with a West Country accent, but insisted there was 'nothing wrong' with the dialect.

Speaking to London's LBC radio in July 2012, he said: 'I swear this is true. I came out of my coma talking in this West Country accent.'

'The doctors were worried that I had this condition where some people wake up speaking French or some language they learned at school.

'There's nothing wrong with a West Country accent, but it's a bit weird when you're from north London. My sisters, who were obviously so relieved that I'd actually woken up, were just laughing away at this stand-up comedy.'

David also played down George's accident in May last year when he fell out of a car on the M1 motorway, which resulted in him being airlifted to hospital with a head injury.

Speaking at the launch of George's new Symphonica album, David added to the Daily Mirror: 'That was just an unfortunate accident – that is all that was.'

A representative for George Michael declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.