Phil Collins‘ recent hospitalization is less dire than rumors circulating online have led fans to believe. Over the weekend, social media users expressed concern for the musician after unfounded reports stated that he was receiving hospice care. Per Billboard, representatives for Collins clarified that the nature of his stay is not related to any terminal condition. Collins is in the hospital recovering from knee surgery.
Collins last commented on his health earlier this year while telling Mojo that he doesn’t find himself “hungry” to create music anymore. “The thing is,” he said, “I’ve been sick, I mean very sick…” The Genesis member has been navigating a deteriorating back condition that has limited his mobility and ability to play drums.
Collins suffered from nerve damage following the spinal surgery he underwent in 2007. “I had an MRI and my back and hips were just shot,” he told Rolling Stone in 2015. “The doctor had to go in there, work on the sciatic nerve and take my back apart and unscramble the mess.”
“I know that my dad misses playing the drums, and I know the fans wish they could see him. I wish he could play as well,” Collins’ son Nic Collins told Rolling Stone in 2022. That year, Collins and Genesis played a string of farewell shows in which Nic stepped behind the drum kit and Phil served only as vocalist.
“The way we did it proved that despite his struggles health-wise, he was still able to sing brilliantly and we’re able to put on a good show,” Nic said, “and people can come and celebrate the music that they’ve either grown up with or haven’t been able to hear live if they’re from a newer generation.”
From Rolling Stone US
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