“My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up. People were coming to say goodbye,” the singer recalled
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NEED TO KNOW
- Phil Collins’ five children came to his hospital bedside in 2024 for what could’ve marked their final goodbyes amid his alcohol addiction
- “My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up. People were coming to say goodbye,” the singer recalled in a new interview
- Phil is a father to daughters Lily Collins and Joely Collins, plus sons Simon Collins, Nicolas Collins and Matthew Collins
Phil Collins is looking back at a heartbreaking moment during his time as a person with an alcohol use disorder.
Back in April 2024, the singer, 75, was unconscious in a Swiss hospital due to heavy alcohol use. Phil’s manager of 50 years called his five children — daughters Lily Collins and Joely Collins, plus sons Simon Collins, Nicolas Collins and Matthew Collins — to be by his bedside, “Because there were some decisions to be made about ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’ kind of thing,” the Grammy Award-winner recalled to The Sunday Times.
“My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up,” he further explained. “People were coming to say goodbye.”
“But I don’t remember them coming,” added Phil. “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.”
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According to The Sunday Times, Phil was taken to the hospital in connection with his alcohol use in November 2023. He was discharged three days before Christmas, but weeks later, he was rushed back into intensive care, and he subsequently spent seven months in the hospital.
“I was very lucky to have come out of that,” Phil told the publication, adding, “Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since.”
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Later in 2024, Phil and his family met up at the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge, where they spent four days and nights bonding together. He recalled to The Sunday Times that daughter Lily, 37, “was sitting beside me in tears, saying, ‘I never thought I’d get these moments.’ “
“We had an incredible time. I can’t overemphasise how fantastic it was,” the “In the Air Tonight” musician continued of the family gathering.
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Phil revealed in his 2016 autobiography, Not Dead Yet, that he struggled with alcoholism as a result of his tumultuous personal life and back injury.
“Night after night I find myself lying on the bed, staring out of a skylight at grey Swiss skies, rueing my life,” he wrote. “I’m all alone, save for my good friends Johnnie Walker and Grey Goose.”
Phil has been open about his overall health struggles. “It’s an ongoing thing,” he told host Zoe Ball earlier this year on an episode of BBC’s Eras podcast. “I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do. I’ve had challenges with my knee. I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me.”
The star has dealt with nerve damage, knee problems, kidney issues and type 2 diabetes. His diagnoses ultimately affected his ability to play music, and Phil retired ahead of his rock band Genesis’ final tour in 2022.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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