Genesis icon Phil Collins has opened up about a life-threatening health crisis. Doctors debated whether to keep him on life support, he revealed in a recent interview.
Collins spoke candidly about how his alcohol dependency led to severe organ failure in 2024. His family gathered to say their goodbyes as he was brought to the brink of death.
“I’d have wine when I woke up,” Collins said. “That was what I’d want for breakfast, a glass of wine. Some decisions [were considered]…’Do we keep Phil on life support?’ kind of thing. My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up.”
The musician went on to describe the gravity of the situation. He noted that he was largely unaware of what was unfolding around him at the time.
“People were coming to say goodbye,” he continued. “But I don’t remember them coming – I didn’t have [any] idea this was going on. They were all worried that they wouldn’t see me again. It could all have gone so terribly wrong. I was very lucky to have come out of that. Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since.”
Collins was admitted to a hospital in Switzerland in April 2024. He spent seven months there receiving treatment as his organs continued to fail. His manager called all five of his children to his bedside, fearing he would not survive. The sight of his family arriving to say what they believed were their final goodbyes is something Collins has only recently been able to speak about publicly.
The health collapse did not come without warning. Collins had been dealing with a series of serious physical setbacks for years, including nerve damage and type 2 diabetes. These conditions compounded the toll his drinking was taking on his body. By the time he was hospitalized, his kidneys were among the organs beginning to shut down.
Even after surviving the crisis, Collins continues to live with its consequences. He now requires around-the-clock nursing care and relies on crutches to move. His physical limitations had already been visible to the public during Genesis’s final reunion tour in 2022, when he performed every show seated due to his deteriorating condition.
Collins has not touched alcohol since the hospitalization. He has spoken openly about the decisions made around his care and the fragile state he was left in. For a musician whose career has spanned more than five decades, the interview stands as one of the most candid and sobering accounts of his life off the stage.
