Earlier this year, Phil Collins revealed he has been ‘very sick’ but despite rumours, he has clarified he’s not in a hospice – but is in hospital.
Last week was a brutal one for music fans as we lost the iconic Ozzy Osbourne and jazz legend Chuck Mangione, as well as wrestler Hulk Hogan.
Social media was rife with speculation about Phil’s health, with a rumour that he was in a hospice (usually reserved for the terminally ill) spreading quickly among fans.
Concerns for the 74-year-old musician have been growing since he officially retired in 2022 after Genesis’ farewell show.
Phil’s spokesperson has attempted to calm any worry surrounding the Genesis drummer’s health, assuring TMZ he is ‘nowhere near death’.
Instead, the You’ll Be In My Heart legend is in hospital for a knee operation — not in hospice care at all.
The spokesperson did not specify any details about the knee operation but this is not the first surgery Phil has undergone.
In 2007, the In The Air Tonight hitmaker suffered a spinal injury, resulting in his continuous struggle with severe nerve damage and deteriorating mobility.
He had dislocated vertebrae in his neck while on tour with Genesis but after two surgeries — in 2009 and 2015 — Phil was reliant on a cane.
The injury also resulted in numbness in his hands, meaning that by 2019, he was unable to hold drumsticks and had to retire.
On top of this, in 2021, the Hall of Famer revealed he also had diabetes so his health was suffering as a result of that too.
Speaking to Mojo magazine in their April issue, he shared: ‘I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
‘But I’m not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I’ve been sick, I mean very sick.’
While Phil might not be desperate to record new music, he did sit down at a drum set for the first time in 15 years with the help of his son, Nic Collins.
He was honoured in a documentary, Drummer First, which explored the Against All Odds hitmaker’s life and legacy as a drummer.
In the documentary trailer, he commented: ‘It’s still kind of sinking in a bit… I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock.
‘If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything. If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I will have a crack at it.
‘I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles. It just feels so strange to hold a pair.’
Phil was last publicly seen in May when he supported his son, Mathew, 20, at a football match. He plays for WSG Tirol II, which is the youth academy team of Austrian club WSG Tirol.
Mathew posed with dad in the stands of the club’s stadium, with the younger Collins family member still dressed in his green kit while Phil opted for a snuggly fleece.
The caption read, ‘Two big wins today!’, hinting that his dad’s attendance meant a lot in the face of the drummer’s deteriorating health.
Metro has reached out to Phil Collins’ reps for comment.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.