Phil Collins on Three Years of Sobriety and the Health Crisis That Preceded It

Phil Collins has rarely been direct about the period when his body stopped absorbing alcohol the way it once did. In an interview with Prog, published by Louder, the Genesis drummer and singer describes the relapse that led to organ failure and a 2024 hospitalization that left him unconscious for most of his stay.

“I went through some pretty dark times,” Collins says. “I was never ‘falling over’ drunk … It was just drinking ‘normally,’ as one would drink water.” By the time his kidneys and liver were “waving the white flag,” he said, he had no idea how close he was to dying. “I just thought I was sick.”

Collins recovered and has now been sober for three years. He still deals with drop foot and has undergone five knee operations, which is why he uses crutches. But he told Prog he feels physically “A1, 100%,” with physiotherapy three times a week.

The interview arrives ahead of two milestones: his solo induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November, and the September 18 release of Face Value (Full Value), a box set marking 45 years of his 1981 debut solo album. New music is also possible, he says, though his last release was a 2010 covers album.