Phil Collins has recalled how he nearly died from alcohol abuse in 2024.
In an interview for The Sunday Times published this week, the legendary musician described how he was admitted to a hospital in Switzerland for alcohol addiction in late 2023.
Though Collins was initially discharged, he returned a short time later and was quickly placed in intensive care.
“My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up,” he said. “People were coming to say goodbye. 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.”
The Genesis frontman went on to recount how his five children, including Emily in Paris actress Lily Collins, all rushed to his bedside.
“There were some decisions to be made about, ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’ (That) kind of thing,” the 75-year-old continued. “I was very lucky to have come out of that. Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since.”
Later in 2024, Collins made a remarkable recovery, and to celebrate, he invited all of his family to spend a few days with him at a luxury hotel in London.
“(Lily) was sitting beside me in tears, saying, ‘I never thought I’d get these moments,” he remembered. “We had an incredible time. I can’t overemphasise how fantastic it was.”
Collins has been open about his health struggles over the years, having undergone surgery on his upper neck in 2009 and spine surgery in 2015.
In his 2016 autobiography, the In the Air Tonight hitmaker revealed that he had been sober for three years after battling alcoholism following his retirement from music and divorce from third wife, Orianne Cevey.
The drummer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010 and will be honoured as a solo artist at a ceremony in November.
