Unfortunately, Phil Collins’ health hasn’t improved — if anything, it has worsened.
The legendary Genesis drummer and “In the Air Tonight” singer now reveals that he needs 24-hour care to manage his ongoing medical challenges.
Heartbreaking update
Phil Collins stepped away from music in 2022 due to health concerns and rarely gives interviews. But ahead of his 75th birthday, the legendary musician appeared on BBC’s Eras podcast, where he opened up about his current struggles.
Collins shared: “I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do. I’ve had challenges with my knee. I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me.”
The music icon has undergone five knee surgeries, leaving him with only one functioning knee.
“I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever,” he said. Collins has also struggled with drop-foot, a condition that has left one of his feet numb since a spinal procedure in 2007, forcing him to use a cane since 2015.
In 2009, Collins underwent surgery on his upper neck to fix an issue that had started while drumming on Genesis’ 2007 tour. After the procedure, he lost sensation in his fingers and could only hold drumsticks if they were taped to his hands.
Alcohol abuse ‘messed up’ his kidneys
Four years ago, Collins performed his final show sitting down at London’s O2 Arena on Genesis’ The Last Domino? Tour, with his 24-year-old son Nic taking over on drums. His health issues were compounded by COVID and kidney problems, which he attributes in part to his past heavy drinking. He is now two years sober.
”I’d probably been drinking too much, and so my kidneys were messed up, you know,” he said.
“I enjoyed coming off tour. Coming off the road … I thought, right, I’m gonna do all those things that I couldn’t do,” he said. “I guess I had too much of it. I was never drunk, although I fell over a couple of times. But it is just one of those things that happened and it all caught up with me, and I spent months in hospital.”
The Grammy Award-winning artist admitted that the last few years have been “difficult, interesting, [and] frustrating,” but added, “It’s all right now.” Despite ongoing health struggles, he remains candid about the impact these issues have had on his life and his music.
Phil Collins first stepped into the spotlight at just 12, appearing in iconic films like A Hard Day’s Night and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as starring in the West End production of Oliver! in 1964.
By age 18, he shifted his focus from acting to music, joining the rock band Genesis as their drummer in 1970. Five years later, after Peter Gabriel left the group, Collins assumed the role of frontman, leading the band to new heights.
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