Phil Collins has revealed that he came close to death in April 2024 due to alcohol abuse, with his manager summoning his five children to his bedside at a Swiss hotel to say their goodbyes. The 75-year-old musician, best known as the former Genesis drummer and frontman, told The Times of London that his organs and kidneys were failing at the time, though he has no memory of the episode itself. The disclosure sheds new light on the severity of health problems that have plagued him for years and marks his most candid public account yet of his struggle with drink.

Collins, who detailed earlier bouts of addiction in his 2016 memoir Not Dead Yet, said he had continued drinking wine each morning even after periods of sobriety, including a stint at Eric Clapton's rehab clinic in Antigua. In late 2023 his condition deteriorated to the point that he spent seven months in hospital, culminating in the deathbed scene at the Swiss hotel; he has remained sober since and now relies on a 24-hour live-in nurse to manage lasting effects including type 2 diabetes, nerve damage and mobility issues from spine and knee surgery. Despite this, he has since enjoyed family gatherings and says he is open to a fourth marriage, and he is set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on 14 November in Los Angeles.