Phil Collins: Alcohol Almost Killed Me

Phil Collins says his most recent battle with alcohol took him so close to death that loved ones came to his hospital bed to say farewell. In an interview with the Sunday Times, the 75-year-old musician recounts how he began heavily drinking again after stopping Antabuse, a medication that makes alcohol consumption physically intolerable. He describes pouring wine at breakfast and ultimately spending seven months in the hospital from November 2023 with severe kidney and pancreas damage. Doctors weighed whether to keep him on life support, he says, while family and friends arrived to say goodbye—visits he doesn't remember.

Collins, who previously spoke of alcohol abuse after his 2006 divorce, says he hasn't touched a drink since that latest health crisis, notes the Guardian. The former Genesis drummer and frontman has faced a string of medical problems over the last decade, including spinal and neck issues that forced him to perform seated and give up drumming, as well as a diabetes diagnosis. One of Britain's most successful hitmakers, Collins has largely stepped back from releasing new solo music since 2010 but returned to touring in part, he has said, so his children could see him on stage.