Phil Collins Reveals He Almost Died From Alcoholism

Alcohol almost took the life of musician Phil Collins.

The former Genesis frontman shared his alcohol-related health struggles in a recent interview with The Sunday Times. “My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up. People were coming to say goodbye,” Collins remembered of a late 2023 hospital stay.

“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.”

Collins, 75, alluded to his alcohol intake being the culprit in his kidney issues.

“There were some decisions to be made about, ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’ kind of thing. I was very lucky to have come out of that,” Collins added. “Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since.”

The eight-time Grammy Award winner’s health issues don’t stop there. In 2017 he revealed that he had been diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. And within the last year Collins has admitted to requiring 24-hour care. During his last live performance, along with Genesis in March 2022, Collins sat down during the concert and was unable to drum. In his place, Collins’ son, Nick, handled drumming duties.

In recent years, Collins has been open about now being unable to properly grip drum sticks.

Between his solo career and his work with Genesis, Collins has sold around 150 million records worldwide. Along with his Grammy Awards, Collins also won an Academy Award and two Golden Globes. Notable singles from his solo career include “In the Air Tonight,” “Another Day in Paradise” and “You’ll Be in My Heart” which hit number one on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

Collins and the rest of Genesis were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. In November 2026 Collins will be inducted into the Rock Hall as a solo artist.