Phil Collins has sparked concern among fans (Image: MEGA/Getty)
has sparked concern among fans after confessing that he can “barely hold a drumstick” due to deteriorating health. During an emotional interview with Breakfast, the Genesis star opened up about his condition which has been worsening over the past 15 years.
Now at 70 years old, Collins is struggling with nerve damage from an injured vertebrae in his upper neck and is battling acute pancreatitis.
Despite these challenges, Genesis thrilled enthusiasts last year by reuniting for a tour their first since 2007 with members Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford.
However, Collins has now indicated that the band will hang up their hats post-tour, as he revealed in today’s heart-rending discussion. This morning, an introspective Collins shared: “I’m kind of physically challenged a bit which is very frustrating because I’d love to be playing up there with my son.”
He acknowledged his inability to play the drums anymore and questioned his desire to continue touring.
The legendary musician sustained injuries on a previous Genesis tour. On the official Genesis website, Collins detailed the unfortunate incident: “Somehow, during the last Genesis tour, I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands”, reports .
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Phil’s health has deteriorated in recent years due to his drumming past (Image: Gustavo Caballero/South Beach Photo/REX/Shutterstock)
He had surgery hoping for a recovery, but currently, his hands do not function normally, affecting his ability to play the drums or piano.
Collins remains hopeful that perhaps there might be improvement in a year or so, but as of now performing is off the table.
Phil Collins has candidly shared that he wasn’t ‘distressed’ about his health prognosis, choosing instead to retreat to Switzerland with his third and now ex-wife, Orianne Cevey, alongside their sons Nick and Matt. However, this time turned into one of his most challenging periods after his marriage fell apart and Orianne, along with the children, relocated to Miami.
Phil confessed that casual evening drinks escalated into a life-threatening addiction. “Within months you’re drinking vodka from the fridge in the morning and falling over in front of the kids, you know,” he revealed at a 2016 press conference.
Phil’s son Nicholas stood in for him on the drums (Image: Getty Images)
He acknowledged the severity of his situation, saying, “But it was something I lived through, and I was lucky to live through it and get through it. I was very close to dying.”
The crisis peaked in 2012 when acute pancreatitis sent him to a Swiss hospital, where he overheard a doctor questioning whether his will was in order, signalling how close he was to death. “My organs were kind of f****d. It was spirits, corrosive stuff,” he later disclosed.
In 2013, facing potential permanent damage to his pancreas, Phil stopped drinking for three years. Nowadays, he’s more lenient with himself.
“I didn’t drink for all that time but now I am quite capable of having two or three glasses of wine, saying goodnight and walking away,” he has previously shared with The Mirror.
In 2016, a happy and healthy Phil Collins briefly reunited with Orianne and announced his decision to come out of retirement. He revealed plans for five nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall and dates in Cologne and Paris.
However, by this point, he was walking with a cane and admitted he wouldn’t be able to drum – although he hoped to at least manage the famous introduction to In The Air Tonight.
His spine surgery had caused nerve damage in his foot, meaning he could no longer stand for any significant amount of time. “I have eight screws in my back but it left my foot numb,” he told The Mirror, explaining how his bad drumming posture caused his injuries.
Instead, his son Nicholas, then 15, did the drumming.
In a nod to his ill-health, he dubbed the tour Not Dead Yet, Live. Unfortunately, he was forced to cancel two of the London shows after a nasty fall in his hotel room.
“Phil suffers from ‘drop foot’ as a result of a back operation which makes it difficult to walk,” a statement on his Facebook page said.
“He rose in the middle of the night to go to the toilet and slipped in his hotel room, hitting his head in the fall on a chair.”
“He was taken to hospital where he had stitches for a severe gash on his head close to his eye and is recovering well. He will be kept under observation for 24 hours.”
Phil Collins is known for his soundtrack, In The Air (Image: Getty)
Despite these setbacks, a defiant Phil has since continued to soldier on with his career, although he’s recently faced more turmoil after his marriage to Orianne collapsed and she got hitched to another man.