Legendary musician Phil Collins shares heartbreaking health update
In a new interview with MOJO magazine, legendary musician Phil Collins is sharing a heartbreaking update on his health.
While talking about whether or not he’ll ever make music again, Collins told MOJO he thinks about it often, but that his health has kept him from the studio.
“I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens. But I’m not hungry for it anymore,” he explained. “The thing is, I’ve been sick. I mean very sick.”
In an interview with Drumeo from October 2022, Collins opened up about his decision to retire from music after playing for the last time a few weeks earlier.
“The drumming has taken its toll on my hands, legs,” Collins shared at the time. “And I don’t want to be a caricature of myself so I’d rather stop.”
“If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything.”
Collins even then said he does still get the urge to play, and when he does, he’ll curb those urges by writing “or if I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks then I’ll have a crack at it.”
“But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles,” Collins joked.
While talking with Drumeo, Collins admitted that it is still a “shock” to him he can no longer play the drums.
However, the drummer said, “It’s OK.”
“I’ve done most of the things I think that I’ve wanted to do,” adding that he’s “got nothing to complain about.”
“I’ve got five great kids. I live in a reasonably modest house. I don’t want for anything. I’m one of the lucky ones, really.”
In his interview with MOJO, Collins didn’t share any specifics regarding his ongoing health issues.
In 2017, Collins revealed he has “drop foot” as “a result of a back operation which makes it difficult to walk.”
Mayo Clinic describes drop foot, or foot drop, as “a general term for difficulty lifting the front part of the foot. If you have foot drop, the front of your foot might drag on the ground when you walk.”
Collins recently celebrated his 74th birthday on Jan. 30.
This story was originally published February 23, 2025 at 2:58 PM.