‘I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles’: Phil Collins shares heartbreaking health update

After an illustrious career spanning decades, renowned singer-songwriter Phil Collins has revealed the heartbreaking reality that he can no longer play the drums due to ongoing health struggles.

The Genesis musician, who retired in March 2022, offered the devastating update to fans in the documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First.

“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,” he said.

Collins revealed that years of drumming had “taken its toll” on his body.

“If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks then I’ll have a crack at it,” he said.

“But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.”

His son, Nic, revealed in the documentary that his father underwent major neck surgery in 2015, a procedure linked to years of poor posture and the physical demands of drumming. Collins also suffers from drop foot, a condition that impairs mobility and makes drumming nearly impossible. He now relies on a cane for walking.

Despite these challenges, Collins gave fans a final farewell during Genesis’ last-ever performance on March 26, 2022, at London’s O2 Arena, joking that it was time he and his bandmates needed to “get real jobs.”

Collins performed the entirety of his final concert seated, determined to keep the show going, despite battling debilitating nerve damage that affects both his hands and back. 

The In The Air Tonight hitmaker later joined keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist Mike Rutherford for the band’s last standing ovation.

Ahead of the tour, Collins had set the record straight, saying that this would be the last tour for Genisis. 

“This English and American tour, that will be enough for me,” he confessed during an interview at the time.

-with BANG.