Phil Collins Reflects on Health Struggles and Potential Return to the Stage
Music icon Phil Collins has expressed uncertainty about returning to live performances, citing ongoing health challenges that have affected him for years. The 75-year-old, renowned for his work with Genesis, last appeared on stage in 2022. His health issues include multiple knee surgeries, which now require him to use walking assistance, as well as long-standing back and arm injuries from decades of drumming.
During an appearance on BBC Breakfast, Collins shared an update on his condition. “I’m healthier now than I have been for quite a while,” he said. “The last 18 months has been fine. Before that, not so good.”
He explained that his health problems came at once. “Everything caught up with me at the same time. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, but everything is fine now.” Collins revealed that his knee issues were particularly challenging. “I had problems with my knee, which I had for a while but I played through it, I toured through it. But eventually I had to have a knee operation and I had to have it done five times because it either kept getting infected or it broke.”
Collins, known for hits such as “In The Air Tonight,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” and “I Don’t Care Anymore,” has remained relatively low-profile due to his health complications. When asked if he thinks he will perform again, he responded, “I can’t really see it happening, but I’m healthier now than I have been for quite a while.”
Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Collins is set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, marking his second induction after being honored as a member of Genesis in 2010. Speaking about the ceremony in November, he said, “I mean, this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thing, they asked me if I would perform and I said no cos you’ve got to be match fit to do something like that. You can’t just go onstage – you have to rehearse, and by that point if you’ve not been singing then your voice is going to be shot, and then that’s not going to be good, so I’d rather not do it.”
However, he added, “But whether I’d go out again (to perform), I would contemplate, yes.” Collins also mentioned that he wants to return to his home studio and has many lyrical ideas for new music. “I have lots of things I would like to get my teeth into,” he said.
A Birthday Documentary and Health Challenges
In January, Collins appeared in a BBC documentary celebrating his 75th birthday, where he was asked about a potential return to performing. He responded, “Never say never.” During the documentary, he also discussed his health struggles, revealing that he has suffered from Covid and kidney issues, and that he now has a 24-hour, live-in nurse.
Collins has enjoyed a career spanning nearly six decades, during which he became the only artist to perform at both Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia for the dual-venue Live Aid charity concerts in 1985. Reflecting on this, he told the BBC, “I remember it very well. Someone said, ‘well you could get (a Concorde flight) and do both’ and I said OK. I said, ‘I’m not the only person doing it cos that will look like showing off’ and they said no, no, no.”
He added, “Retrospectively, you can look at (the performances) and say it bonded the two events.”
Legacy and Family Life
As a solo artist, Collins has achieved three UK number one singles and has won numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards and eight Grammys. He has five children, including Nicholas, who has drummed for him on tour, and actress Lily Collins, known for her role in Emily In Paris.
