Phil Collins is recovering in hospital after suffering a fall in his London hotel room last night.
The superstar rocker has been performing on stage for the first time in several years, but has been forced to cancel the remainder of his London shows as he recovers.
Phil has related the news via his Facebook page, which reports that he had to have stitches “for a severe gash on his head close to his eye”.
According to the statement, Phil will be kept in hospital under observation for the next 24 hours, which means he won’t be able to perform tonight or tomorrow as planned.
The statement adds:
We unfortunately have to announce that Phil Collins’ performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London will be postponed tonight (June 8) and tomorrow (June 9). Phil suffers from ‘drop foot’ as a result of a back operation which makes it difficult to walk. He rose in the middle of the night to go to the toilet and slipped in his hotel room, hitting his head in the fall on a chair. He was taken to hospital where he had stitches for a severe gash on his head close to his eye and is recovering well. He will be kept under observation for 24 hours.
Phil sends his sincere apologies and thanks to fans. He has had a fantastic week at his first shows in 10 years, cannot thank people enough for their warm reaction and is excited to return.
These Royal Albert Hall shows will be rearranged for November 26th and 27th this year. All tickets for June 8th will be valid for November 26th and tickets for June 9th will be valid for November 27th.
He will carry on with this tour on Sunday in Cologne and then Paris before returning to London for his headline performance at BST Hyde Park on June 30th.
Phil has suffered numerous health problems in recent years, and has been appearing on stage, walking with a cane and sitting down to perform.
He told the audience on the first night after he walked on, “That’s the last dancing you’ll get from me tonight. My legs are fucked and I’ve had a back operation.”
This is a huge setback for Phil, following a rapturous reception to his return to the stage after so long away.
“I’ve got a drum kit in the garage, and I will be getting to that to see if I can play… to see if I can do ‘In The Air’. That would be something that I think I should do.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to play the way I used to. Something happened. I can remember, it was on the Genesis reunion tour, around the time of the drum duet, pushing it as we used to.
“Something happened one night and it never came back. I tried to use heavier sticks, I tried to use bigger cymbals - but I couldn’t get any power with this hand. It’s a little bit of a mystery as to why it happened, but I’m 65, I’ve been playing since I was five years old. I’d like to have the choice, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it.”
The tour is called ‘Not Dead Yet: Live’, adapted from his autobiography ‘Not Dead Yet’.
“I decided to call the book that because a lot has been made of my health, and also because there were still some things to do,” explains Phil.
There is his health to make a lot of. Aside from not being able to drum, 60 years of playing such a physical instrument finally forced him into back surgery last year, which has that’s left him with foot drop, forcing him to walk with a cane.
“That, I’m hoping, in time will get better, so I will be getting some physical stuff done. I’m doing water therapy, which is very good, it’s high on my to-do list.”