Phil Collins Says He Almost Died in 2024 From Alcohol Abuse: ‘People Were Coming to Say Goodbye’

During that second, far more severe hospital stay, the 74-year-old musician disclosed that he spent much of the time unconscious as his body progressively shut down. "My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up," he recounted. "People were coming to say goodbye. But I don't remember them coming. I didn't have no idea this was going on." The situation escalated to the point where his five children were urgently summoned to his bedside, preparing for the worst. Family members were confronted with an agonizing dilemma: whether to keep him on life support. "There were some decisions to be made about 'Do we keep Phil on life support?' kind of thing," he said. "I was very lucky to have come out of that. Needless to say, I haven't had a drink since."

This brush with mortality represents the latest chapter in a long and public saga of health struggles for the drummer-turned-solo superstar, whose career has now stretched across five decades. In early 2026, Collins told BBC Two that he had already endured five separate knee surgeries, a persistent issue that has severely curtailed his mobility for years. Yet, in a more recent conversation with BBC Breakfast, the singer adopted a cautiously hopeful tone, asserting that he feels "healthier now than I have been for quite a while." He even hinted at a possible musical comeback, admitting that thoughts of returning to the recording studio and performing again have crossed his mind. "I would contemplate, yeah," he said. "I'm constantly saying to myself, I better go back down to my studio at home."

For admirers of the artist—whose 1985 album *No Jacket Required* soared to the top of charts globally and whose collective output with Genesis has surpassed 100 million records sold—this renewed vigor is an encouraging sign. Medical professionals stress that recovery from severe organ failure is a slow, demanding journey that necessitates profound lifestyle changes, and Collins appears dedicated to that challenging path. Notably, his perseverance echoes the resilience seen in other legendary musicians who conquered addiction later in life, such as Johnny Cash and Keith Richards, though Collins's story remains distinctly his own. For now, the man who once filled stadiums worldwide is focusing on what matters most: staying alive, staying sober, and perhaps, in due course, letting the music flow once more.