Phil Collins Receives Round-the-Clock Care Amid Ongoing Health Issues

Phil Collins has offered one of his most candid updates yet on his health, revealing that he now requires constant medical supervision as he navigates the long-term effects of multiple conditions that have reshaped his life and career.

Living With Round-the-Clock Care

Speaking on the BBC Eras podcast, the 74-year-old artist explained that he is under 24-hour care. “I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do,” Collins told host Zoe Ball. Reflecting on his physical decline, he added, “I’ve had challenges with my knee … I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me.”

Collins confirmed he has undergone five knee surgeries and now relies on just one functioning knee. Although he remains mobile, it comes with limitations. “I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever,” he said, underscoring how dramatically his daily life has changed.

Health, Sobriety, and Hard Lessons

The former Genesis drummer also acknowledged the role alcohol played in accelerating his health struggles. After stepping away from touring in 2022, Collins described the sudden freedom that followed years on the road. “I enjoyed coming off tour… I thought, right, I’m gonna do all those things that I couldn’t do,” he said. “I guess I had too much of it.”

While Collins insisted he was “never drunk,” he admitted the cumulative impact eventually caught up with him, resulting in months spent in hospital. Looking back, he described the period with characteristic honesty: “It’s just been a difficult, interesting, frustrating last few years,” he said, before adding, “But it’s all right now.” The musician is now two years sober and focused on maintaining stability rather than recovery milestones.

A Quiet Coda to a Legendary Career

In addition to knee problems, Collins lives with drop-foot, a condition that has left one foot without sensation. He has used a cane since undergoing spinal surgery in 2015, with lingering effects from a 2007 spinal injury ultimately forcing him to step away from the stage.

His final performance came on March 26, 2022, at London’s O2 Arena, during Genesis’ The Last Domino? tour. Performing while seated, Collins ceded drumming duties to his son Nic Collins—a symbolic passing of the torch that resonated deeply with fans.

In his 2024 documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First, Collins reflected on the emotional weight of stepping away from the instrument that defined his life. “I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock,” he said. “If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything.”

Rather than framing his present as a loss, Collins now seems to view it as an acceptance of limits earned over decades of relentless creativity. “If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I’ll have a crack at it,” he added. “But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.” For an artist whose rhythm once powered generations of songs, the silence is not defeat—it is the quiet aftermath of a journey fully lived.