During an appearance on BBC Radio, classic Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett spoke about former bandmate Phil Collins and his health issues. Robert Plant & Jimmy Page Spotted At Hospital
Steve Hackett opens up on Phil Collins
Here is what he said:
Of course, we all have sympathy with Phil because we know what an incredible all-rounder he’s been, and it’s easy to forget that he was a child actor, dancer, singer in ‘Oliver’ [musical] years before Genesis.So he’s been a vet for a very long time, so we all wish him improved health, but the tour that I’m doing was booked way ahead of their tour, and things got shunted around.It looked like they were going to be touring the States for theirs at the same time I was going to be touring the U.K., so it was going to work out fine.It just so happens that they’re playing in the same country that we are at the same time, so it’s the heaviest possible pressure for me.At the same time, we were playing Manchester, and we were at the same time, the same night, and so I was very worried that we wouldn’t be able to fill our venue, but the reverse was true, it was a fantastic reaction, we happened to film it.f we weren’t touring at the same time, I would go and see one of their shows, and obviously, I wish them well. I have my commitments, they have theirs.”
Collins has health with a number of health issues over the last 10 years, starting with injured vertebrae in his upper neck in 2009.
The injury was sustained while he was performing and left him with crippling nerve damage. After surgery to repair the vertebrae, he lost feeling in his fingers and could only grip drumsticks if they were taped to his hands. The injury soon left him unable to continue playing the drums that made him a star.
He also struggled with an alcohol problem following his retirement and his divorce from his third wife, adding that he had been sober for three years. The following year, he revealed that he is a type 2 diabetic and had received treatment with a hyperbaric chamber after developing a diabetic abscess on his foot which became infected.
He had also slipped in his hotel room during the night and hitting his head on a chair, resulting in stitches for a severe cut close to his eye. The fall was caused by ‘foot drop’, a condition which Collins developed after his back operation and now sees him wearing orthopedic shoes. Collins now uses a cane to assist with walking and performed on stage while sitting in a chair. Collins also suffers from acute pancreatitis, which sees the pancreas become inflamed and swollen over a short period of time.
