Highlights
- Phil Collins’ health struggles have forced him to retire from his music career, ending his last live performance with Genesis.
- Collins’ Genesis bandmates have shown support.
- Collins’ bandmates, including Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford, have responded to his health issues.
Even though Phil Collins never wanted to be a singer, his music legacy will go down in history decades after his passing. Sadly, however, the singer’s health struggles have become so serious that his career has all but certainly come to an end.
Due to Collins’ struggles, his Genesis bandmates were flexible enough to let his son take over drumming when they were on tour. Given how supportive Collins’ Genesis bandmates have been, that has left fans wondering how they’ve reacted to how serious his health issues are now.
How Have Phil Collins’ Genesis Bandmates Reacted To His Health Issues?
After Phil Collins joined Genesis in 1970, the drummer and singer became an incredibly successful solo star. As a result, Collins easily could have left Genesis behind, but he reformed the band many times over the years.
Due to Collins’ loyalty to his bandmates, it seems clear his last live performance was as a member of Genesis. Following news that Collins’ celebrated music career had come to an end, many fans have wondered how his Genesis bandmates have reacted.
Who Are The Most Famous Members Of Genesis?:
- Phil Collins (vocals and drums between 1970 and 2022)
- Peter Gabriel (lead vocals between 1967 and 1975)
- Tony Banks (keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals between 1967 and 2022)
- Mike Rutherford (bass guitar and backing vocals between 1967 and 2022)
Between 1967 and 2022, Tony Banks provided his keyboard, guitar, and vocal skills to Genesis when the band was active. Following Collins’ last performance with the band, Banks spoke to Vulture at great lengths about Genesis’ legacy. During that interview, it seemed like Banks had accepted that his friend and bandmate’s career was over.
“I don’t think there’s anything else left. The well is dry. We can’t tour any more because of Phil’s state, so that’s the end of that. Let’s face it, when we did our last show the most recent piece of music must have been written about 30 years before. That was our era.”
Easily the most famous of Collins’ former bandmates, Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975 and never looked back. When he spoke to Mojo in 2022, Gabriel revealed why he felt like he had to be there for Genesis and Collins’ final music chapter.
“Phil wasn’t in as great a shape as he used to be, but they did a great job,” he says. “Me going was a rite of passage, really. I’d been part of the creation of Genesis so I wanted to be there at the end.”
Phil Collins’ son Nic Collins talked to Rolling Stone about Genesis’ final concert. During that conversation, Nic Collins spoke about witnessing Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins visiting backstage.
“He said he was happy to be there since it was important to him as well. He left in 1975, and he never looked back. He never fell back on the Genesis material. He had a very, very successful solo career. But it was just great for him to be there.”
Nic Collins continued, “He said, ‘This is the end of something I was a part of.’ We spoke briefly. And then him and my dad spoke pretty extensively and caught up about all their good times. It was pretty great to see.”
Of Phil Collins’ famous former Genesis bandmates, Mike Rutherford has been the most forthright about the singer’s health issues. In March 2023, Rutherford appeared on BBC Breakfast, and he addressed the state of Collins’ life as of that time.
Based on Rutherford’s comments during that interview, Genesis’ longtime bass player wasn’t heartbroken by what had happened to Phil Collins. Instead, it seems like Rutherford was choosing to see the bright side of Collins being able to retire. According to Rutherford, Collins found happiness off the road.
“As you know, Phil is a bit… He’s much more immobile than he used to be, which is a shame, but at the tour, he was in good spirits. He’s fine now at home, enjoying life. He’s worked so hard over the years. I think he’s enjoying his time at home.”
As of the time of this writing, there is no reason to think that Phil Collins’ bandmates are heartbroken by the state of his health. On the other hand, it seems all but certain that when Collins’ time comes as it does for everyone, any surviving bandmates will deeply mourn his loss.
What Is Wrong With Phil Collins’ Health?
After Phil Collins joined Genesis in 1970, he spent decades at a breakneck pace. Between writing and recording music as well as his years touring the world, Collins’ work ethic was on full display for many years.
Sadly for Collins and his millions of fans, he has been coping with health issues for more than two decades as of this writing.
The first indication of Collins’ struggles that went public came in the year 1999 when it was revealed he’d suffered partial hearing loss. As a report from The Guardian revealed, Collins lost hearing in one ear but the issue later stabilized.
Other Health Issues Phil Collins Has Dealt With:
- Alcohol Use Disorder
- Pancreatitis
- Foot Drop
After dealing with other issues in the years that followed, Collins revealed a major problem he has dealt with. In 2017, Collins told the world that he had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. On top of that, Collins developed an infected diabetic abscess on his foot that he had to treat with a hyperbaric chamber.
Ultimately, it was a back injury that ended Collins’ music career. As Collins revealed in a statement, an injury to the vertebrae in his upper neck led to crippling nerve damage. As a drummer, that kind of injury profoundly affected Collins’ ability to perform.
“Somehow, during the last Genesis tour, I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands. After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can’t function normally. Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano.”
While Collins initially was hopeful that he would recover more, the opposite turned out to be the case. In fact, Collins has admitted that things got so bad that he tragically considered hurting himself.
Eventually, Collins’ bad back took away his ability to stand or walk without assistance. As a result, Collins has been seen using canes, wheelchairs, and he was seated throughout his final performances.
Source: NewsFinale
