Phil Collins is not in hospice care despite viral rumours on social media, his representatives have clarified.
Last week, various unfounded rumours of the singer-songwriter and former Genesis drummer being placed under hospice care and “on his deathbed” went viral on social media. It is unclear where the rumours originated, and no evidence was shared to support the claims.
Now, the musician’s teams have refuted the rumours, telling TMZ and The Independent that there is no truth to the reports, and Collins is “nowhere near death”. However, his team did clarify that Collins had been hospitalised for knee surgery, and is currently recovering from the procedure.
The rumours of Collins being placed under hospice care seem to stem from the musician’s admission of ill-health in recent years. Earlier this year, Collins revealed that he currently does not have the appetite to create new music amid ongoing struggles with his health.
“I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens,” he said at the time. “But I’m not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I’ve been sick, I mean very sick.”
Late last year, Collins shared an update on his health through the documentary Drummer First, though it had been recorded two years prior. In that clip, he was seen talking to popular YouTube drumming channel Drumeo, where he shared that he was still adjusting to not being able to drum anymore, and said that he’d rather take time away from the kit than be unable to play like he did before. “If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything,” he said.
“If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I’ll have a crack of it. But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles,” he added. “It’s still kind of sinking in a bit… I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To be suddenly not be able to do that is a shock.”
This wasn’t the first time that Phil Collins has shared an update with fans and revealed his ongoing struggles to perform. Back in 2021, he revealed that he could “barely hold a stick” due to health issues.
“I’m kind of physically challenged a bit which is very frustrating because I’d love to be playing up there with my son,” he said amid the Genesis reunion shows, which saw his son Nic stand in for him. “I would love to but, you know, I mean I can barely hold a stick with this hand, so there are certain physical things that get in the way.”
Collins has experienced issues with his health since suffering a spinal injury in 2007, which damaged vertebrae in his upper neck and also left him with nerve damage. The injury has impacted his ability to perform, and at Genesis’ last ever show in March 2022, he performed in a chair.
He hasn’t released an album of original music since Disney’s Brother Bear soundtrack in 2003. One year prior to that, he released his last solo studio album ‘Testify’.
