Genesis drummer Phil Collins recently addressed his ability to ever play the drums again, sharing a candid update on his health in a recent interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored.
The remarks centered on whether his inability to play is permanent, and how his ongoing health struggles have affected his mobility and grip.
Collins was asked directly whether the change is irrevocable and whether he hopes to regain his ability to play.
“Well, it depends on the temperature. For example, this summer has been wonderful from a sunshine point of view. So I got an air conditioning in my room, air conditioning unit. And so I go upstairs and I used to sleep with it on up until a few weeks ago. I woke up in the morning and I can’t really move my fingers. It’s kind of an arthritis,” Collins said.
He then explained that he had attempted to play again during Genesis’ Last Domino tour.
“And to be honest, I haven’t really tried. Last time I tried was on the Genesis Last Domino tour when Nicholas was playing drums, my son. And I got the drums set up in a room just to see if I could play. And I knew as soon as I sat down, I started playing. And I couldn’t. I couldn’t really hold the stick properly. I got dropped foot, which is in my right leg, you know, like from the knee downwards, which means I can’t really do much with it,” he continued.
Collins also described the medical complications that followed during that period.
“And at that time I needed a knee operation which I eventually had five of because it just kept getting infected or the spacer broke. But I spent a long time in hospital. Part of it was the knee,” he said.
Reflecting on his time in hospital, he noted how unfamiliar the experience had been.
“I mean, I’d never been in hospital ever until I went in there for pancreatitis a couple of times because of drinking. But up till that point in my life I had never been in hospital. Suddenly I was living in hospital and it was, you know, literally sobering,” he said.
Collins has previously revealed he now requires around-the-clock nursing care and relies on crutches to move. He spoke about the health condition that made it impossible for him to play drums anymore. Further updates may follow.
His comments add to a longer story of physical decline since his last run of major shows.
The Last Domino tour was the final concert tour by Genesis. It ran from September 20, 2021, to March 26, 2022, after the band’s reunion following a 13-year hiatus. Collins performed seated at the front of the stage, with Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford alongside him.
His son Nic Collins handled the drums on that tour. Nic had already stepped in as drummer at his father’s solo shows. His playing helped inspire the Genesis reunion. Fans and critics at the time pointed to how closely he reproduced his father’s drumming.
The more serious crisis came in April 2024, when Collins was hospitalized in Switzerland. He spent roughly seven months in treatment after an alcohol-related health crisis led to organ failure. His five children were called to his bedside at one point, when doctors weighed whether he should remain on life support. Collins has since described how close he came to dying.
“My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing,” he recalled of the 2024 hospitalization.
Now 75, Collins has said little about any return to the kit. His latest remarks suggest his hands, his right leg and his general health remain obstacles to playing again.
