Phil Collins has revealed that his children were gathered to his bedside in April 2024 to say goodbye as his organs shut down. The 75-year-old singer, whose hit "In The Air Tonight" has had a resurgence on TikTok, opened up about his health struggles in an interview with The Sunday Times.
"Because there were some decisions to be made about 'Do we keep Phil on life support?' kind of thing," he told the publication. "My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up. People were coming to say goodbye. But I don't remember them coming, 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."
Struggle with alcoholism
Phil has been open about his struggles with alcoholism in recent years. In his 2016 memoir, Not Dead Yet, he wrote that he became an alcoholic at the age of 55.
"I got through the heady Sixties, the trippy Seventies, the imperial Eighties, the busy Nineties. I was retired, content – then I fell. Because suddenly, I had too much time on my hands."
The Against All Odds singer added: "The huge hole, the void, I had to fill somehow. I filled it with booze. And it nearly killed me."
Health and home today
Phil now has a live-in nurse after suffering spine and knee surgeries, and can only walk while on crutches. He also has type 2 diabetes. The singer lives in Switzerland, near Lake Geneva, in a five-bedroom five-bathroom mansion.
He also opened up about being single, admitting he would love to be with somebody to "kiss."
"I'd love to be in love again," he said. "I would love a relationship. Kissing somebody, for example. You know, pretty basic stuff." He added that it's "probably too late for that."
Family and Lily's tribute
Phil has been married three times and is a dad of five - Joely, 53, Simon, 49, Lily, 37, Nic, 25, and Matthew Collins, 21. His daughter Lily, star of Netflix hit series Emily in Paris, posted about his 75th birthday with a selfie on Instagram earlier this year.
She wrote: "Yesterday Dad turned 75 and I feel so grateful to have celebrated together. For all you've accomplished, all the joy you've brought so many all over the world for ALL these years, all the lessons we've learned, all the memories we've shared, and all the new ones to come, thank you. I count myself so lucky to have hugged you, laughed with you, and reminisced with you on such a monumental day. Proud is an understatement. Love you to the moon and back again…"
