Phil Collins has enjoyed one of the most celebrated careers in music, first rising to fame as the drummer and later the lead singer of Genesis before launching a successful solo career. The musician concluded his final tour in 2022, and at 75 years old, he is reflecting on the frightening health scare he had in 2024 that left him believing he was nearing the end of his life.
Phil Collins has faced a number of health challenges over the past two decades that have significantly affected his ability to perform. Among them is a spinal injury that caused mobility issues and a few knee surgeries.
In 2023, the singer was more than a decade sober before he had a relapse that eventually sent him to the hospital in 2024 for alcohol addiction and organ failure. His health was in such dire condition that he was placed on life support, and his family and close friends were called to say goodbye.
“My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up. People were coming to say goodbye,” Collins told The Sunday Times. Admittedly, he said he was mostly unconscious at that time, but noted that those who were closest to him feared it was the end. “It could all have gone so terribly wrong,” he said.
All The Singer’s Five Children Were By His Bedside
Collins added that important decisions had to be made, such as whether to keep him on life support. All of the drummer’s children visited him to say their final goodbyes.
He has been married three times and is the father of five children. He shares Joely and Simon with his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli. He later welcomed daughter Lily Collins, best known for starring in “Emily in Paris,” with his second wife, Jill Tavelman. With his third wife, Orianne Cevey, he has two sons, Nicholas and Mathew.
Fortunately, he went on to recover. “I haven’t had a drink since,” he proudly shared. His recuperation wasn’t swift, though, as he spent seven months in a hospital in Switzerland.
Phil Collins Years For Companionship
Collins is currently based in Switzerland and has a live-in nurse who helps care for him following his health crisis. The singer admitted that he would like to find love again and misses certain parts of being in a relationship.
“I’d love to be in love again. I would love a relationship. Kissing somebody, for example. You know, pretty basic stuff,” the singer confessed.
Following his split from his third wife, he entered a relationship with news anchor Dana Tyler in 2007, which lasted until 2020.
At his age, however, Collins said love may no longer be in the cards for him. “I think it’s probably too late for that. I’m not a very social person. I don’t you know, I don’t go out,” he said.
Lily Collins Wrote An Open Letter To Her Father
Lily didn’t always have a close relationship with her father, which he detailed in her 2017 memoir “Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me.” The actress said her bond with Collins deteriorated after her parents’ divorce.
Lily also penned an open letter to him in the chapter “A Letter to All Dads,” in which she later realized that many of her insecurities stemmed from “issues” with her father. “I forgive you for not always being there when I needed you and for not being the dad I expected. I forgive the mistakes you made,” she wrote.
The father and daughter have since mended their relationship, and Collins shared that he spent the New Year in London with family and Lily. “I have a wonderful relationship with Lily now. So everything has a happy ending, most of the time,” he said.
Phil Collins Is Not Closed Off To Performing Again
Collins last performed at “The Last Domino? Tour” in 2022 with Genesis. At that time, he announced his retirement due to multiple health issues.
In May, however, Collins shared a positive update on his health, revealing that he feels the healthiest he has in a long time. The musician has unfinished songs and ideas that he’s toying with, as well as a few finished works, and he isn’t opposed to the idea of returning to the stage. “I would contemplate… I’m constantly saying to myself, I better go back down to my studio at home,” he said.
Collins will be inducted at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time in November, this time in recognition of his solo career.
