Phil Collins cancels shows after nasty fall in hotel

LONDON -- Pop music icon Phil Collins has been forced to cancel the last two dates of his comeback tour in Britain after a nasty fall in his hotel room.

A statement posted to his official Facebook page said Collins was left with a "severe gash on his head close to his eye" that required stitches after tripping on the way to his hotel bathroom on Wednesday night.

The statement said the singer-songwriter was "recovering well," but would remain under observation for at least 24 hours.

Collins, 65, walks with one, sometimes two canes thanks to a condition called "drop foot" that he was left with following surgery on his back.

Before his current concert round, he hadn't been on tour in about a decade. Performances at London's Royal Albert Hall for Thursday and Friday night were cancelled. He had already played several nights there.

The post on Facebook said his injury would not affect upcoming concert dates in Germany and France, and that he would reschedule the cancelled London dates for late November.

In the Facebook message, Collins sent his "sincere apologies and thanks to fans," and said he was looking forward to getting back on stage.

In an interview last year with CBS News' Jim Axelrod, Collins made it clear that in spite of his mobility issues, some hearing loss and a bad wrist that keeps him from playing the drums, he has no intention of fading away.

"I've been made aware the last few years that people have missed me," he told Axelrod. "I was checking into a hotel in Miami, and the bellman said something to me, and it really touched me: 'When are you gonna come back, man? Because we really miss you!'"

As much as he wants to look forward, the bulk of Collins' energy until this year had been spent looking back. He told Axelrod about his new memoir, "Not Dead Yet," which is a candid chronicle of the music legend's struggles with marriage, alcohol and fame.