Los Angeles, July 12 (IANS): Singer George Michael was addicted to cocaine before he checked into rehab last year, a family member has claimed.

Jackie Georgiou, wife of the singer's cousin Andros, told The Sun newspaper she is “petrified” that the 52-year-old will die, after claiming his alleged binges on cocaine, alcohol and marijuana left him a drug saddled wreck, reports dailymail.co.uk.

“He was smoking crack. Before he went away, he got to the point where he would be shaking, saying, 'I need it'. There were parties where he was taking drugs and collapsing and being picked off the floor. Waking up in vomit, horrible things. He was so thin, so ill,” Georgiou said.

“It's crack, it's marijuana, it's drink, it's coke. It was pretty dark and things were getting darker. He was going to end up locked up or dead. I'm petrified he will die,” she added.

The singer checked himself into one of the world's priciest addiction clinics, the 190,000 pound-a-month Kusnacht Practice in Switzerland, in June last year.