Phil Collins has revealed that he has ongoing health issues and requires 24-hour care.
The Genesis drummer, 74, has opened up about his health struggles as he continues to battle complications from a spinal cord injury in 2007 that damaged a vertebrae in the upper neck and caused subsequent nerve damage.
“As you know, I have a nurse on call 24 hours a day to make sure I take my medication. I have a problem with my knee,” he told the BBC’s Ellas podcast series. “Everything could have gone wrong for me, and it did.”
Mr Collins has had five surgeries on his knee, but has only been able to use one, adding: “I can walk with crutches or some kind of assistance.”
“I contracted the coronavirus in the hospital. My kidney function started to recover. It seemed like everything was converging at the same time,” he said.
Phil Collins says his kidneys ‘went crazy’ due to excessive drinking
The Grammy Award-winning artist said his kidneys “went crazy” after a period of heavy drinking.
Collins, who has now been sober for more than two years, said he enjoyed being off the road and finally being able to “do all the things I wasn’t able to do.”
“I think I drank too much. I passed out a few times, but I was never drunk. But it was just one of the things that happened and everything caught up with me and I spent several months in the hospital,” he said. “The last few years have been difficult, interesting, and frustrating. But I’m okay now.”
At the announcement of Genesis’ farewell tour in 2021, he told the BBC that due to his degenerative disease, he “can barely hold a stick with[one hand].”
Throughout his musical career, Collins won eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year in 1986 for “No Jacket Required” and Record of the Year in 1991 for “Another Day in Paradise.”
He also won an Oscar for his sweet ode to spiritual bonds, “You’ll Be in My Heart” from Disney’s Tarzan, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Genesis in 2010.
Contributor: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY
