After decades at the center of global music, Phil Collins is now navigating a quieter, more demanding chapter defined by health challenges, reflection, and gratitude. Speaking candidly about his condition, the artist offers an honest look at resilience, accountability, and the meaning of a life shaped by creativity.
Phil Collins, one of the most influential musicians to emerge from the United Kingdom, has spoken openly about the complex health issues that have marked his recent years. Now approaching his 75th birthday, the former Genesis frontman described a period in which multiple medical setbacks converged, fundamentally altering his day-to-day life. His remarks, shared during a conversation with British broadcaster Zoe Ball for the BBC podcast series Eras, reveal both the physical toll of these experiences and the emotional clarity that has followed.
Collins indicated that his condition now demands ongoing professional care, supported by a nurse who lives with him and provides assistance at all hours. This degree of supervision, he said, helps ensure that his medications are taken properly and that his mobility issues are handled safely. Although he can still walk, he does so with help, a circumstance shaped by years of knee troubles and multiple surgeries. Collins stated that he has had five procedures on his knee alone, each one gradually adding to the limitations he faces today.
A convergence of medical challenges
The musician described recent years as a time when several health complications unfolded in rapid succession. What began as orthopedic issues expanded into more serious systemic concerns. While hospitalized, Collins contracted Covid-19, an illness that further strained his body at a moment when it was already vulnerable. During that same period, he experienced kidney problems that required extended medical attention.
Reflecting on these complications, Collins acknowledged lifestyle factors that may have contributed to his condition. He spoke frankly about alcohol consumption, explaining that while he was never one for excessive late-night drinking, his daytime habits eventually took their toll. Over time, he said, these choices caught up with him, leading to months spent in hospital and a prolonged recovery process.
Despite the gravity of these experiences, Collins did not frame them with drama or self-pity. Instead, he described them as a series of events that accumulated over time, underscoring how the physical demands of a long career, combined with personal habits, can have lasting consequences. His account offered a rare, unfiltered perspective from an artist whose public image has often been associated with stamina, precision, and control.
The bodily toll of spending a lifetime immersed in music
Long before these recent hospitalizations, Collins had already been grappling with injuries linked to decades of performance. Known not only as a singer and songwriter but also as an accomplished drummer, he spent much of his career subjected to the physical strain that comes with repetitive motion and high-intensity touring. Back surgery in 2015 marked a turning point, as complications from the procedure resulted in nerve damage that permanently affected his ability to play the drums.
Subsequent injuries and a major fall in 2017 further curtailed his mobility, eventually leaving him dependent on a cane. By 2021, Collins openly acknowledged that he could no longer drum, a poignant admission considering how essential the instrument had been to his musical identity. During Genesis’ reunion tour, his son Nic Collins took over on drums, enabling his father to stay on stage as the vocalist while symbolically handing the rhythmic legacy to the next generation.
Collins’ final live performance took place in 2022, an event that now stands as the closing chapter of a remarkable onstage career. While he has expressed hope that he might regain greater mobility and overall health, he has also been realistic about the possibility that he may never perform live again. This uncertainty, he suggested, is something he has learned to live with rather than resist.
Looking back on an extraordinary career
Even as he spoke openly about his health, Collins consistently circled back to a deep gratitude for the life he has experienced in music, portraying his career as remarkably diverse and one that let him inhabit many creative roles, including drummer, frontman, solo performer, songwriter, and producer, while his journey—from progressive rock with Genesis to era‑defining solo albums that dominated the charts—has left an imprint that stretches across genres and decades.
Rather than focusing on accolades or commercial success, Collins emphasized the richness of the journey itself. He suggested that few artists are granted the opportunity to reinvent themselves as often as he did, or to remain relevant across so many phases of the industry. This perspective appeared to ground his reflections, offering balance to the more sobering realities of his health.
The Eras podcast interview, serving as the concluding chapter of the series, emerged not as a farewell but as a reflective overview. A televised adaptation of the discussion will soon be broadcast on the BBC after his birthday, offering a broader audience a glimpse into his professional legacy and his present frame of mind.
Family, responsibility and personal development
Beyond music and health, Collins also addressed more personal themes, particularly his role as a father. Three times divorced, he is the parent of five children, including actress Lily Collins, widely known for her leading role in the Netflix series Emily in Paris. When asked what life has taught him, Collins spoke about accountability and the desire to make amends for moments when his actions may have caused pain.
He acknowledged a part of himself that continues to reflect on how his choices affected those closest to him, especially his children. This sense of reckoning, however, was paired with pride. Collins described his children as resilient and well-adjusted, emphasizing their independence and commitment to their own values. Observing them forge their own paths, he said, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of his life.
This reflection hinted at a change in priorities that typically accompanies growing older and gaining experience, and whereas success had previously been tied to album sales or packed arenas, Collins appeared increasingly devoted to his personal connections and to the qualities of those he helped influence.
Acceptance, resilience and moving forward
Although uncertainty continues to shape Collins’ present circumstances, his outlook did not sink into hopelessness; rather, he communicated a calm acceptance and a guarded sense of optimism, voicing the belief that ongoing recovery could help him rebuild strength and maintain independence, even if stepping back onto the stage remains improbable.
This attitude conveys a larger message woven into his narrative: adaptation matters. Much as Collins reshaped his musical style over the course of his career, he now adjusts to his physical challenges with the same forthrightness and discipline that once guided his work ethic. Having continuous care, though a major change, has evolved into a routine centered on protection and overall well-being.
By openly recounting these experiences, Collins helps shape a more layered dialogue about aging, wellness, and legacy within the entertainment industry, reminding readers that even highly acclaimed careers carry private burdens and that embracing one’s fragility never lessens accomplishment but rather enriches an already meaningful legacy.
As Phil Collins enters his mid-seventies, his reflections offer a portrait of an artist who has moved beyond performance to contemplation. It is a chapter marked not by applause, but by honesty, responsibility, and an enduring appreciation for a life lived fully, both on and off the stage.
