British singer George Michael was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of possessing drugs after he was found slumped in a car in central London, a police source said.

42-year-old Michael, who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide during a 25-year career, was arrested in the Hyde Park area of the capital early on Sunday, the source said. He was checked by paramedics but did not need hospital treatment.

A London police spokesman would not confirm Michael had been arrested. He issued a statement saying a 42-year-old man had been held on suspicion of possessing Class C drugs, a group in British law which includes cannabis, tranquilizers and some painkillers.

"The Sun" newspaper reported that the singer was booked under his real name, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. "We were called by a member of the public to a man seen slumped over the steering wheel of a car. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled substances," the statement said. He was bailed to return to a police station in late March pending a police investigation.

Michael's manager and publicist could not be reached for comment. This is not the first time George Michael has found himself on the wrong side of the law. In 1998 the former Wham! star was arrested for lewd conduct in a public toilet in Los Angeles after being spotted by an undercover police officer. The incident led him to reveal he was gay, ending years of mystery about his sexuality.