Phil Collins can still no longer play drums amid a major health fight.
The ailing Genesis musician, 73, lost the ability to play his kit almost three years ago and retired in March 2022 and has now given fans a heartbreaking update on his condition.
He says on the 'Phil Collins: Drummer First' documentary which has come out on YouTube: “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.”
The Grammy winner’s son and drumming successor Nic Collins was also interviewed for the documentary.
He pointed out musicians and “people in bands in general” think they are “invincible”.
Nic, 23, said: “I think that’s really what it is with my dad – is just this kind of sense of, ‘You’re a drummer, you’re invincible, you do what you do’.
“But you don’t know it’s gonna take a toll in the long run.”
Nic also said his father underwent a “big surgery” on his neck in 2015, which “stemmed from all those years playing drums and bad posture”.
Phil also suffers from drop foot – a condition that makes it difficult to lift the front part of the leg, making drumming nearly impossible, and he uses a cane to walk.
Six months before putting down his drumsticks for good, the musician opened up about his declining stamina.
He told the BBC: “I’m kind of physically challenged a bit, which is very frustrating, because, you know, I’d love to be playing up there with my son.
“I can barely hold a stick with this hand, so there are certain physical things, which get in the way.”
