Phil Collins (75) lay unconscious in a Swiss hospital in April 2024, while doctors and family members deliberated whether life support measures should be continued. His manager, who has accompanied him for 50 years, called the musician's five children to his bedside. In an interview with "Sunday Times Magazine", the singer has now described the episode in detail for the first time, as reported by "Daily Mail" and "People", among others.

"There were a few decisions to be made, like: Do we keep Phil on life support?", Collins said. "My kidneys were failing, my organs were shutting down one by one. People came to say goodbye."

He didn't notice any of it. "But I don't remember them being there. I had no idea what was going on. They were all afraid they wouldn't see me again. It could have gone terribly wrong." His daughters Joely (53) and Lily (37) as well as his sons Simon (49), Nicholas (25) and Matthew (21) gathered at his bedside.

A glass of wine for breakfast

The cause of the collapse was Collins' alcohol problem, which he himself hadn't recognized as such for a long time. "I was drinking wine as soon as I woke up. That's what I wanted for breakfast, a glass of wine", he described his daily routine to the magazine. And continued: "But I wasn't drinking into the night. So honestly, I didn't realize I had a problem."

Already in his 2016 autobiography "Not Dead Yet", the musician had written about drinking and connected it to his turbulent private life and a back injury. "Night after night I lie on the bed, staring through a skylight at the grey Swiss sky, brooding over my life", it says there. "I'm all alone, except for my good friends Johnnie Walker and Grey Goose."

According to the "Sunday Times", the hospital stay had already begun in November 2023. Three days before Christmas, Collins was allowed to go home, but a few weeks later he was back in the intensive care unit. In total, he spent seven months in the hospital. "I was very lucky to get out of there", he told the newspaper. "It goes without saying that I haven't had a drink since."

Four days at a hotel with the children

Later, the family gathered at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge, London, and stayed there for four days and nights. One scene with daughter Lily, who became known as the lead actress in the series "Emily in Paris", has particularly stayed in his memory: "She sat next to me and cried and said: 'I never thought I'd get these moments.' We had an incredible time. I can't emphasize enough how fantastic that was."

The singer is still not healthy today. He has Type 2 diabetes and nerve damage in his hands, and after several operations on his spine and knees, he relies on walking aids. "It doesn't stop", he said earlier this year on Zoe Ball's BBC podcast "Eras". "I have a caregiver who lives with me around the clock and makes sure I take my medication properly. I've had problems with my knee. Everything that could go wrong with me has gone wrong."

"I'd like to be in love again"

Collins does think about a new relationship, but doesn't really expect it anymore. "I'd like to be in love again. I'd like to have a partnership. Kissing someone, for example, very mundane things. I think it's too late for that. I'm not a very social person. I don't go out."

Collins and Orianne Cevey married in 1999, separated in 2006 and divorced in 2008. In 2016, they briefly got back together. As parents of Nicholas and Matthew, they remain in contact. When asked if he wanted more, he replied: "Well, I'd like to. But I don't think that's a good idea right now. Simply because I know how I am. I'd probably fall in love again. [...] We were really very much in love."