Phil Collins, the 75-year-old drumming legend and Grammy-winning solo artist, is showing signs of recovery after enduring what he described as three years of compounded medical crises that kept him largely away from public life.
The good news arrived via social media on May 7, 2026, when Mark Goodman — the former MTV host who now produces the “Sound Up!” podcast alongside music journalist Alan Light and hosts a SiriusXM program — posted a photo on Instagram showing himself alongside a smiling Collins.
“@rockhall inductee @officialphilcollins is doing well thank you after 3 years of physical challenges,” Goodman wrote. “The man comes through it all with the most positive attitude ! Great talent and a beautiful human.”
The message sparked an outpouring of relief from fans, with one commenting, “So thankful he was inducted! I was really cheering for him!”
A Cascade of Medical Setbacks
Collins opened up about his struggles in January 2026 during an unusually candid conversation with Zoe Ball for the BBC Two five-part special “Phil Collins Eras: In Conversation,” which concluded on January 26. During the interview taped January 21, the singer detailed a cascade of health problems stretching back nearly two decades.
A spinal injury in 2007 left Collins with severe nerve damage and later led to drop foot after a back operation, forcing him to perform seated during his final tours. His son, Nic Collins, handled the drumming duties during Genesis’ farewell run, The Last Domino? reunion tour, which ended in early 2022.
But recent years have brought sharper challenges. Collins told Ball he underwent five operations on one knee, developed kidney issues linked to daytime drinking, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and spent months hospitalized — a stay during which he contracted COVID.
“I had five operations on my knee now I’ve got a knee that works and I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever,” Collins told Ball in the interview.
Two Years Sober and Looking Ahead
Collins, who revealed he is now two years sober, acknowledged the role alcohol played in his decline. He wasn’t drinking late into the night, he explained, but rather throughout the day — a pattern that took a serious toll on his kidneys. He now depends on a 24-hour live-in nurse to help manage his medication regimen.
Despite those challenges, Collins described himself as “totally mobile and healthy” — a characterization that, combined with Goodman’s recent Instagram post, suggests the worst may be behind him. That’s a dramatic shift from 2021, when Collins admitted he could “barely hold a stick with this hand.”
A Second Rock Hall Honor Awaits
Collins has reason to celebrate beyond his improving health. In April, he was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, 16 years after being inducted with Genesis in 2010. The November 14 ceremony will place him among a small circle of drummers inducted twice — a club that includes Ringo Starr, Dave Grohl, and Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
New Music on the Horizon?
Collins also hinted that he might return to the studio, teasing fans with the possibility of new material for the first time in years. He hasn’t released original songs since 2002’s “Testify,” and his most recent studio album was the 2010 Motown covers project “Going Back.”
During his BBC conversation, Collins revealed he has “some things that are half formed or were never finished, and a couple of things that were finished,” suggesting there might be “life in the old dog” yet. He positioned any studio work as tentative — a way to “have a fiddle about and see if there’s more music.” For an artist who recently seemed to have put music-making behind him permanently, the shift in tone is striking.
Whether new Collins music actually arrives remains to be seen, but for fans who’ve watched his health struggles, seeing him upright and smiling alongside Goodman is reason enough to celebrate.
