Phil Collins recovering in hospital
Phil Collins' representative has dismissed rumours he is receiving hospice care but confirmed he has undergone knee surgery.
Phil Collins is recovering from knee surgery.
The 74-year-old musician - who admitted earlier this year that he is "very sick" - was the subject of online rumours last week that he was receiving hospice care, but his representative his confirmed to The Independent that is not the case.
Instead, the former Genesis frontman is currently in hospital recuperating after having an operation on his knee.
Phil - who has type 2 diabetes and ongoing complications from a 2007 spinal surgery which means he can "barely" hold a drumstick properly anymore - admitted earlier this year his health issues have meant he is no longer interested in playing music.
He told MOJO magazine: “I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens. But I’m not hungry for it anymore.
“The thing is, I’ve been sick, I mean very sick.”
The In the Air Tonight hitmaker would love to be able to drum again one day, but he devastatingly believes he’s “used up my air miles”.
Speaking in the Phil Collins: Drummer First documentary, he said: “It’s still kind of sinking in a bit… I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock.”
Phil picked up his first set of drumsticks aged five and he says the laborious playing has “taken its toll” on his hands and legs.
He added about his decision to retire: “If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything.
“If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks then I’ll have a crack at it.
“But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.”
Phil has suffered for a long time with poor health since he injured a vertebrae in his upper neck while performing in 2009.
Two years later, he stepped back from performing due to crippling nerve damage, which rendered him unable to play the drums, before returning in 2015.
Promoting Genesis' reunion shows, he previously said: “I’m kind of physically challenged a bit which is very frustrating because I’d love to be playing up there with my son.”
