Musician Phil Collins, 75, has recounted a harrowing period in 2024 when he was hospitalized for seven months due to organ failure, a crisis he attributes to a relapse into heavy drinking. During this critical illness, his children said what they believed were their final goodbyes to him.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Collins described the severity of his condition, stating, “My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up.” He noted that his family had to make decisions regarding life support, and his manager summoned his five children to his bedside. "People were coming to say goodbye," he recalled. However, Collins has no memory of these interactions, adding, “I didn’t have no idea this was going on. They were all worried that they wouldn’t see me again. It could all have gone so terribly wrong.”
Collins was first admitted to a Swiss hospital in November 2023. After a brief discharge days before Christmas, he was readmitted to the intensive care unit weeks later. Reflecting on the experience, he said, “I was very lucky to have come out of that. Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since.”
The musician has five children from his previous marriages. Joely and Simon, his eldest children with first wife Andrea Bertorelli, are in their 50s. His daughter Lily, 37, is with his second wife, Jill Tavelman. His younger sons, Nicholas, 25, and Matthew, 18, are with his third wife, Orianne Cevey.
Collins, who has faced significant health challenges over the years, including nerve damage from a neck injury in 2007 and back surgery in 2015, retired from touring in March 2022 due to diminished drumming abilities. Despite these ongoing health issues, he has expressed openness to a future relationship, admitting, “I’d love to be in love again. I would love a relationship.” However, he also mused, “I’m not a very social person. I don’t, you know, I don’t go out,” suggesting he is uncertain if such a relationship is likely.
Despite his health setbacks, Collins had previously indicated a willingness to explore new music and potentially return to touring, stating in May that he was healthier than he had been in some time. He currently resides in Switzerland with a live-in nurse.