Phil Collins has been ‘too sick’ to even think about making new music again
The star is battling severe nerve damage and deteriorating mobility.
Phil Collins has shared an update about the future of his music career.
The In The Air Tonight hitmaker, 74, has been retired for a while now after handing over his drumsticks to his son Nic Collins in 2022, and while he is behind some of the greatest hits of the 80s and 90s, he’s pretty confident that he’s now done with music for good.
The announcement may come as no surprise to fans as the Genesis star suffered a spinal injury in 2007, resulting in his continuous struggle with severe nerve damage and deteriorating mobility.
In 2019, he officially lost the ability to play his drum kit and, in March 2022, announced he was retiring from music for good.
Speaking to Mojo magazine in their April issue, he doubled down on the difficult decision, admitting he is no longer ‘hungry’ enough to make music despite it being such a massive part of his life for so many years.
‘I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens,’ he told the outlet. ‘But I’m not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I’ve been sick, I mean very sick.’
Phil rose to fame as part of the group Genesis (Picture: Paul Natkin/Getty Images) After undergoing two back surgeries, he retired from performing in 2022 (Picture: BPI/REX/Shutterstock)Phil’s comments follow his first time sitting down at a drum set in 15 years with the help of his son.
The major move came in December and was for a very special reason as Phil was the star of a documentary called Drummer First, which explored his life and legacy as a drummer.
In the documentary trailer, Collins commented: ‘It’s still kind of sinking in a bit… I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock.’
‘If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything. If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks then I will have a crack at it.’
‘I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles. It just feels so strange to hold a pair.’
In the video, the artist – who hasn’t released an album since his 2010 Motown covers LP Going Back – looked frail and slightly overwhelmed as he returned to the drum set.
Phil’s son Nic is continuing his dad’s legacy as the new Genesis drummer (Picture: YouTube)To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Previous Page Next PagePhil’s health issues first began in 2007 during a Genesis reunion tour, when he dislocated vertebrae in his neck. It caused painful, lasting nerve damage and resulted in surgery in 2009 and 2015, leaving Phil reliant on a cane for mobility.
In 2016, after his second surgery, he told NME: ‘I’d messed my hips up as well. That was a year ago, and, as of now, I have a dropped foot.’
Dropped foot is caused by weakness, irritation or damage to the deep fibular nerve and means a person has difficulty lifting the front part of the foot.
The rocker may not be returning to music, but he has more serious business, like being a grandfather to his daughter, Lily’s newborn (Picture: Instagram/@lilyjcollins)In 2021, things took another heartbreaking turn, and Phil shared with fans that on top of nerve damage, he was also battling diabetes. In the years since, his health has continued to deteriorate.
While Phil may not be returning to music, he has an impressive career to be proud of, and it seems his new granddaughter is already learning all about it.
Lily Collins welcomed her first child, daughter Tove Jane, with husband Charlie McDowell, 41, and recently shared a video with her 29.1 million followers of her and Tove listening to the Genesis’ song, I Can’t Dance.
‘Tove beginning her musical education…’ she wrote in the caption.
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