Phil Collins is recalling the moment his five children were called to his bedside to say goodbye amid his prior hospitalization.
“Because there were some decisions to be made about ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’ kind of thing,” Collins, 75, explained to The Sunday Times in a profile published on Sunday, August 2. “My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up. People were coming to say goodbye.”
He continued, “But I don’t remember them coming. I didn’t have no idea this was going on. They were all worried that they wouldn’t see me again. It could all have gone so terribly wrong.”
The outlet reported that Phil — who is the father of daughters Lily and Joely and sons Simon, Nicolas and Matthew — was taken to the hospital in November 2023 relating to his alcohol use. Three days before Christmas, Phil was discharged before being taken back into intensive care. He went on to spend seven months in the hospital. Phil’s manager of 50 years had called the musician’s five children to be at this bedside.
“I was very lucky to have come out of that,” Phil said. “Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since.”
Later that year, Phil and his family reunited at the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge for four days. Phil told the outlet that Lily, 37, “was sitting beside me in tears, saying, ‘I never thought I’d get these moments.’”
“We had an incredible time,” he said of the moments he shared with his children. “I can’t overemphasise how fantastic it was.”
Earlier this year, Phil told BBC in an interview that he was two years sober.
“[I had] probably been drinking too much,” he said. “I enjoyed coming off tour. Coming off the road… I thought, right, I’m gonna do all those things that I couldn’t do.”
Phil shared he was day-drinking, but would cut himself off at 6 p.m. each night.
“I guess I had too much of it,” he remembered. “I was never drunk, although I fell over a couple of times. But it is just one of those things that happened and it all caught up with me, and I spent months in hospital.”
Two months ago, Lily paid tribute to Phil on Father’s Day. “Happy Father’s Day, Dad,” Lily wrote via her Instagram Story. “I’m endlessly grateful for your unconditional love, guidance and support. Now as a parent, I have a newly found understanding and deeper appreciation for everything you’ve done and continue to do.”
“Tove is lucky to call you Grandpa P,” Lily continued, referring to her daughter with husband Charlie McDowell. “Love you to the moon and back.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
