“There were some decisions to be made about ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’” the “In the Air Tonight” singer said.

Phil Collins recalls his children gathering at his bedside to say final goodbyes due to his alcohol addiction

“There were some decisions to be made about ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’” the “In the Air Tonight” singer said.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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August 2, 2026 9:09 p.m. ET

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Phil Collins, Lily Collins, and Joely Collins in New York City in 2010. Credit:

George Napolitano/FilmMagic

- Phil Collins recalled a harrowing chapter in his battle against alcohol addiction.

- The “In the Air Tonight” singer recalled his children being called to his bedside at a Swiss hospital in 2024, “worried that they wouldn’t see me again.”

- “My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up,” he said.

Phil Collins has survived an onslaught of health issues, and lived to share the painful memories of his lowest points.

The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer, author, actor, and former Genesis frontman has endured complications from a 2007 spinal injury; having to undergo multiple surgeries on his knee, severely limiting his mobility; and his continued recovery from alcohol addiction.

Still, he has been making public appearances and giving interviews in the lead-up to his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November. One particularly harrowing experience came in 2024, amid the nadir of his alcohol addiction, prompting his five children to gather by his bedside in a Swiss hospital, “worried that they wouldn’t see me again,” Collins told *The Sunday Times*.

Phil Collins with his son, Nicholas Collins, in Miami in 2016.

Gustavo Caballero/Getty

“There were some decisions to be made about ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’ kind of thing,” Collins told the British paper. “My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up.”

Though “people were coming to say goodbye,” Collins said that to this day, “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.”

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The legendary musician reflected that he was “very lucky to have come out of that” experience.

“Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since,” he said. He also recalled daughter Lily Collins, who stars on *Emily in Paris*, “sitting beside me in tears, saying, ‘I never thought I’d get these moments.’”

Collins has five children from three past relationships. He had musician Simon with his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli, after adopting her daughter, Joely, a producer; he then had actress Lily with his second wife, Jill Tavelman; finally, he had sons Nicholas (a drummer) and Matthew (a soccer player) with his third wife, Orianne Cevey.

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Collins first opened up about his alcohol addiction in his 2016 memoir, *Not Dead Yet: The Memoir*. “Night after night I find myself lying on the bed, staring out of a skylight at grey Swiss skies, rueing my life,” he wrote. “I’m all alone, save for my good friends Johnnie Walker and Grey Goose. ‘You’ve got everything,’ I think, ‘but you’ve really got f----all.’”

In January, he revealed that his ongoing health challenges have left him under 24-hour supervised care.

“I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me,” he noted.

*If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.*

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