Is Gerry Rafferty still missing?

[Neb-Maat-Re]

There was such a fuss last year about Gerry allegedly going missing, I'm surprised there hasn't been a mention of his current serious state:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/h...chine-1.106786

[Meowi]

The newspaper Scotland on Sunday reported that Rafferty was asked to leave the Westbury Hotel in London during July 2008. This report stated that the hotel manager had claimed that other residents were distressed by his habit of relieving himself in various corners of the hotel and that his suite was also in a disgraceful and unusable condition.[5] He then checked himself into St Thomas' Hospital suffering from a chronic liver condition. The same report claimed that on 1 August 2008, Rafferty had disappeared, leaving his belongings behind, and that the hospital had filed a missing persons report.[5] However, this was rebutted by the Metropolitan Police who stated that no such missing persons report existed.[9]
After unconfirmed sightings and unauthenticated reports that he was in contact with his family, on 17 February 2009 The Guardian reported that Rafferty, "who has battled alcoholism for years", was in hiding in the south of England, being cared for by a friend.[10] Subsequently, Rafferty's spokesperson Paul Charles told The Independent newspaper that he had been in touch with Rafferty two weeks previously and that he was alive and well but had no plans to either record or tour.[11] This was then contradicted by a further report in The Daily Telegraph on the following day which quoted from a statement by his solicitors issued to Channel 4 news: "Contrary to reports, Gerry is extremely well and has been living in Tuscany for the last six months......he continues to compose and record new songs and music......and he hopes to release a new album of his most recent work in the summer of this year [2009]".[12][13] The album, titled Life Goes On, was released in November 2009.[14] In November 2010, Rafferty was admitted to a hospital in Bournemouth, Dorset, suffering from liver failure. His family were told that there was little chance of his survival, although after he was taken off life support, his condition began to improve. He remains in a critical condition.[15]

[louielouie2000]

Thanks for the update, Matt. I had no idea all of this was going on. What a sad, tragic, yet fascinating story. I have several family members who are addicts, so Gerry's story definitely hits very close to home for me. It's always seemed like such a cruel duality that so many incredibly intelligent, ultra-talented individuals battle lifelong addiction and self-destruction. I suppose the source of many of those individuals talents are rooted in that affliction, though. I wish Jerry and his family all the best, though I know how these stories always end.