Background

Phil Collins was born on January 30, 1951, in Chiswick, London, England, to Winifred (Strange), a theatrical agent, and Greville Philip Austin Collins, an insurance agent. One of three children, Phil grew up in a household that embraced creativity and drive. His older brother, Clive, would go on to become a professional cartoonist, while his sister competed as an ice skater.

Education

From an early age, Phil showed a preference for the stage and music. His love for the drums began at the age of 5 when he was given a toy drum kit. By the age of 12, Collins had a real set of drums and played every chance he could get. When he was 13 Collins, a talented actor, was offered the chance to play the role of the Artful Dodger in the London production of Oliver!. To take on the part, Collins left the Chiswick Grammar School with his parents' blessing and enrolled in the Barbara Speake Stage School.

Career

Collins teamed with a few fellow students to form his first band, The Real Thing. Other opportunities followed, but his first big break came in 1970 when he answered a newspaper advertisement from a Surrey band named Genesis that needed a drummer and backup vocalist. The three-year-old group, fronted by lead singer Peter Gabriel, desperately needed a change. And Collins seemed to provide a spark. Over the next five years, the band churned out five studio albums, as well as a live record from a concert tour in the United States.

In 1975, Collins became the face of Genesis when Gabriel left the band to embark on a solo career. The group had auditioned some 400 singers to replace their frontman, before turning inward and handing the baton to Collins. The change from Gabriel to Collins was significant. Unlike his predecessor, Collins didn't dominate the stage with elaborate costumes. The music, too, slowly evolved away from the heady, conceptual stuff that defined the band's early sound, toward a more radio-friendly style.

In 1978 the band, now simply consisting of Collins; keyboardist Tony Banks; and guitarist Mike Rutherford, released And Then There Were Three. The record went gold and secured the group its first American radio hit, "Follow You Follow Me." The group followed it up with a more commercial-friendly album, Duke (1980).

Collins, who also performed regularly with the jazz band Brand X, soon began exploring his own solo work. In 1981 he hit the airwaves with his first solo record, Face Value. The album, backed by the popular single "In the Air Tonight," proved to be a monster hit. A year later, Collins released his second solo album, Hello, I Must Be Going, which included a pair of popular singles: "You Can't Hurry Love" and "I Don't Care Anymore."

In 1984 he penned the title song for the film soundtrack to Against All Odds, a No. 1 single that scored Collins Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. In 1985 Collins dominated the charts again with his third solo album, No Jacket Required.

With Genesis, too, Collins demonstrated he had the golden touch. The band scored a No. 1 single in 1986 with the hit "Invisible Touch."

In December 1978, Genesis went on hiatus while Collins went to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to focus on his family; his marriage had become strained after his extensive touring. Having failed to save the relationship, Collins returned to the UK in April 1979, by which time Banks and Rutherford were recording their solo albums.

Face Value was released in February 1981. It features a rework of "Behind the Lines" from Duke in a more funk and dance-oriented style. Collins sang and performed keyboards and drums. He cited his divorce as the main influence on the album's lyrics and themes and said: "I had a wife, two children, two dogs, and the next day I didn't have anything. So a lot of these songs were written because I was going through these emotional changes."

In September 1981, Genesis released Abacab. This was followed by its 1981 supporting tour and a two-month tour in 1982 promoting the Genesis live album Three Sides Live.

In 1984, Collins released "Against All Odds," the main theme for the 1984 film of the same title. The song was produced by Arif Mardin and is one of the few songs released by Collins that he did not produce himself. The single, more pop-orientated and commercially accessible than Collins's previous work, became his first solo single to top the Billboard Hot 100, reached number two on the United Kingdom Singles Chart, and earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

Collins released his most successful album, the Diamond-certified No Jacket Required, in February 1985. It reached No. 1 in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It contained the U.S. number-one hits "One More Night" and "Sussudio" as well the top ten hits "Don't Lose My Number" and "Take Me Home." It also contains the lesser-known "Who Said I Would," and "Only You Know and I Know." The album featured contributions from the Police's vocalist, Sting, ex-bandmate Peter Gabriel, and Helen Terry as backing vocalists. Collins had three United States number-one songs in 1985, the most by any artist that year. No Jacket Required won three Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. No Jacket Required was criticized for being "too commercial," despite favorable reviews from many music critics. A positive review by David Fricke of Rolling Stone ended, "After years on the art-rock fringe, Collins has established himself firmly in the middle of the road. Perhaps he should consider testing himself and his new fans' expectations next time around." "Sussudio" attracted negative attention for sounding too similar to Prince's "1999," a charge that Collins did not deny, and its hook line has been named as the most widely disliked element of his career. In 1986, No Jacket Required earned Collins the first two of his six Brit Awards, winning Best British Male and Best British Album.

In 1989, Collins worked on his fourth studio album ...But Seriously, and appeared on The Who Tour 1989, performing the role of young Tommy's wicked Uncle Ernie in a reprisal of the rock opera Tommy (a part originally played by their late drummer, Keith Moon). In November, Collins released ...But Seriously, which became another huge success, featuring as its lead single the anti-homelessness anthem "Another Day in Paradise," with David Crosby singing backing vocals.

After a hiatus of five years, Genesis reconvened for the 1991 album release We Can't Dance, Collins's last studio album with the group to date. It became the band's fifth consecutive No. 1 album in the UK and reached No. 4 in the United States, where it sold over 4 million copies. It features the singles "Jesus He Knows Me," "I Can't Dance," "No Son of Mine," and "Hold on My Heart." Collins performed on their 1992 tour. At the 1993 American Music Awards, Genesis won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group.

Collins left Genesis in March 1996 to focus on his solo career. He formed the Phil Collins Big Band with himself on drums. The band performed jazz renditions of songs from Genesis and his solo career. His sixth solo album, Dance into the Light, was released in October 1996. The album was received negatively by the music press and sold less than his previous albums. Entertainment Weekly reviewed by saying that "even Phil Collins must know that we all grew weary of Phil Collins." Singles from the album included the title track, which reached No. 9 in the United Kingdom, and the Beatles-inspired "It's in Your Eyes." The album achieved Gold certification in the US. On 15 September 1997, Collins appeared at the Music for Montserrat concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, performing alongside Paul McCartney, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler and Sting.

In 2000, Collins became partially deaf in one ear due to a viral infection. In June 2002, he accepted an invitation to drum for the house band at the Party at the Palace concert held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace, an event which celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. In 2002 Collins received the Disney Legend award. On 11 November 2002, Collins released his seventh solo album, Testify. Metacritic's roundup of album reviews found this record to be the worst-reviewed album at the time of its release, though it has since been surpassed by three more recent releases.

Collins reunited with Banks and Rutherford and announced Turn It On Again: The Tour on 7 November 2006, nearly 40 years after the band first formed. The tour took place during the summer of 2007, and played in twelve countries across Europe, followed by the second leg in North America. During the tour Genesis performed at the Live Earth concert at Wembley Stadium, London. In 2007 they were honored at the second annual VH1 Rock Honors, performing "Turn It On Again," "No Son of Mine," and "Los Endos" at the ceremony in Las Vegas. On 22 May 2008, Collins received his sixth Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors when he was presented the International Achievement Award at a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

In March 2010, Collins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis at a ceremony in New York City. As of January 2011, Collins has spent 1,730 weeks in the German music charts - 766 weeks of them with Genesis albums and singles and 964 weeks with solo releases. On 4 March 2011, citing health problems and other concerns, Collins announced that he was taking time off from his career, prompting widespread reports of his retirement. On 7 March his UK representative told the press, "He is not, has no intention of, retiring." However, later that day, Collins posted a message to his fans on his own website, confirming his intention to retire to focus on his family life. In July 2012, Collins's greatest hits collection ...Hits re-entered the U.S. charts, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

In May 2015, Collins signed a deal with Warner Music Group to remaster his eight solo albums with previously unreleased material. In October, he announced that he was no longer officially retired and is planning to tour and write a new album. By mid-2016, all eight of his studio albums were remastered and reissued as deluxe editions with a bonus disc with demos and live versions of some of his songs. Collins redid the artwork on his albums to look the same as the originals, but with an older self displayed, the only exception being his newest album "Going Back," which featured a new cover. His autobiography, Not Dead Yet, was released on 25 October 2016.

On 27 November 2017, Collins announced the South American leg of his tour which spanned 22 February to 23 March 2018. These shows also included opening sets by the Pretenders. On 7 May 2018, Collins announced a North American leg to his Not Dead Yet Tour scheduled for October 2018.

Achievements

• 

  Phil Collins is one of the world's best-selling artists. He is one of only two recording artists, along with Paul McCartney, who have sold over 100 million records worldwide both as solo artists and separately as principal members of a band. He has won eight Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards - winning Best British Male three times - two Golden Globe Awards, one Academy Award, and a Disney Legend Award. He has received six Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors, including the International Achievement Award. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010, the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.
  
  Collins was estimated to have a fortune of £115 million in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2011, making him one of the 20 wealthiest people in the British music industry. In 2012 Collins was estimated to be the second wealthiest drummer in the world, beaten to first place by Ringo Starr.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Not Dead Yet: The Memoir

    (Phil Collins pulls no punches - about himself, his life, ...)

    2016
  • The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey 2012

• music

  • From Genesis to Revelation 1969
  • Trespass 1970
  • Nursery Cryme 1971
  • Foxtrot 1972
  • Selling England By The Pound 1973
  • The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 1974
  • A Trick of the Tail 1976
  • Wind & Wuthering 1976
  • And Then There Were Three 1978
  • Duke 1980
  • Abacab 1981
  • Face Value 1981
  • Hello, I Must Be Going 1982
  • Genesis 1983
  • No Jacket Required 1985
  • Invisible Touch 1986
  • ...But Seriously 1989
  • We Can't Dance 1993
  • Both Sides 1991
  • Dance Into The Light 1996
  • Calling All Stations 1997
  • Testify 2002
  • The Essential Going Back 2010

Religion

Collins’ religious views are unknown and it is speculated by some that he is an atheist. This seems impossible, however, as Collins is a member of the Freemasons and as such, has been required to declare his belief in a higher power. Freemasons, though, are not asked to qualify what type of higher power it is they believe in, just that they believe in one - which isn’t helpful for our purposes.

Collins has been highly critical of Christianity - particularly American televangelists. He satirizes them in the Genesis song, "Jesus He Knows Me," and disparages them in public interviews. Strangely, he appears to be under the impression that the majority of Americans are under the spell of these two-faced religious leaders. He said: "Most of Americans go for these [televangelists]. It’s hugely popular… Listen, people, wake up! These people are fleecing you."

Politics

People have speculated that Collins is a supporter of Britain’s Conservative Party - mainly for tax reasons. This came as certain wealthy Brits were threatening to leave Britain in 1992 if the Labour Party, with its high tax rates for the rich, were to win the elections. Collins was counted among them and later admitted that he certainly did not want most of his income taken, but that it didn’t mean he was a Tory.

When asked whether he had ever voted Conservative, Phil said: "I didn’t vote, actually. And that’s not something I’m proud of. I was just so busy that I rarely was here."

Views

Collins has stated he is a supporter of animal rights and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In 2005 he donated autographed drum sticks in support of PETA's campaign against Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Quotations: "The world is in your hands, now use it."

“Beyond a certain point, the music isn't mine anymore. It's yours.”

“Love can make you do things that you never thought possible.”

“In learning we teach and in teaching we learn.”

“Just look over your shoulder...I'll be there always.”

“Out of raw emotion emerges instinctive truth.”

“People hate a break-up, but they love a break-up song.”

"They're rude and not as talented as they think they are. I won't mince words here but they've had a go at me personally."

"I wish it wasn't like this. I sit and watch stuff on the television, I think, 'Why, why, why."

"When we're touring America or Europe, we use our own plane and a great advantage of that is it cuts out an awful lot of time checking in. You literally drive up to the plane, get on and then drive off at the other end."

"Like last night I had a sequence with a gun and, to be honest, for me to be threatening with a gun and not be comical is quite hard."

"I've spent the last year and a half going through a very public separation, hiding in hotel lobbies."

"I'm usually going to make a record, finish a record, start a record or start a tour or between tours."

"I'm not trying necessarily to become a movie star; that wouldn't be bad but that's not the aim. I'm just trying to do interesting things and go into areas where I've not been before."

Membership

Phil Collins is a Freemason. He is a member of the Soho Lodge No. 3.

• 

  Soho Lodge No. 3

Personality

According to a 2000 BBC biography of Collins, "critics sneer at him" and "bad publicity also caused problems," which "damaged his public profile." Rock historian Martin C. Strong wrote that Collins "truly polarised opinion from the start, his ubiquitous smugness and increasingly sterile pop making him a favourite target for critics." According to Guardian writer Paul Lester, Collins would "regularly" call music journalists to take issue with negative reviews. Over time, he came to be personally disliked; in 2009, journalist Mark Lawson told how Collins's media profile had shifted from "pop's Mr. Nice guy, patron saint of ordinary blokes," to someone accused of "blandness, tax exile and ending a marriage by sending a fax." Collins has rejected accusations of tax avoidance, and, despite confirming that some of the divorce-related correspondence between him and second wife, Jill Tavelman, was by fax (a message from Collins regarding access to their daughter was reproduced for the front cover of The Sun in 1993), he states that he did not terminate the marriage in that fashion. Nevertheless, the British media has often repeated the fax claim. Collins has been the victim of scathing remarks in regard to his alleged right-wing political leanings. Caroline Sullivan, a music critic of The Guardian, referred to his cumulative negative publicity in her 2007 article "I wish I'd never heard of Phil Collins," writing that it was difficult for her to hear his work "without being riven by distaste for the man himself." According to Jeff Shannon in The Seattle Times, Collins is the "target of much South Park derision." A New Musical Express writer also observed the series' "endless lampooning" of Collins.

Several critics have commented on Collins's omnipresence, especially in the 1980s and early 1990s. Journalist Frank DiGiacomo wrote a 1999 piece for New York Observer titled The Collins Menace; he said, "Even when I sought to escape the sounds [of Collins] in my head by turning on the TV, there would be Mr. Collins ... mugging for the cameras - intent on showing the world just how hard he would work to sell millions of records to millions of stupid people." In his 2010 article Love don't come easy: artists we love to hate, The Irish Times critic Kevin Courtney expressed similar sentiments. Naming Collins as one of the ten most disliked pop stars in the world, he wrote: "[Collins] performed at Live Aid, playing first at Wembley, then flying over to Philadelphia via Concorde, just to make sure no one in the U.S. got off lightly. By the early 1990s, Phil phatigue [sic] had really set in." Appraising Collins's legacy in a 2013 review of the American Psycho musical (adapted from a 2000 film incorporating his music), The Guardian critic Tom Service described Collins as "un-stomachable" and his music as "perfectly vacuous." He also compared him unfavourably with pop contemporaries such as the Pet Shop Boys and the Human League, whose music he said had endured far more successfully. Service described Collins's most popular album No Jacket Required (1985) as "unlistenable to today," reserving particular criticism for "Sussudio."

Collins received acerbic comments in the press following reports about his retirement in 2011. He was dubbed "the most hated man in rock" by The Daily Telegraph, and by FHM as "the pop star that nobody likes." Rolling Stone journalist John Dioso acknowledged "the incredible, overwhelming popularity" Collins and Genesis achieved, but said that he had become "a negative figure in the music world" and that the reaction to his legacy was strongly unfavourable. Tim Chester of the New Musical Express alluded to the widespread disdain for Collins in an article titled, "Is It Time We All Stopped Hating Phil Collins?" He described Collins as "the go-to guy for ironic appreciation and guilty pleasures" and stated he was responsible for "some moments of true genius (often accompanied, it must be said, by some real stinkers)." He also argued that "Genesis turned shit at the precise point he jumped off the drum stool" to replace the departing Peter Gabriel as frontman, and said of the unrelenting derision he has suffered, "a lot of it he brings on himself." He said that Collins was "responsible for some of the cheesiest music ever committed to acetate." Erik Hedegaard of Rolling Stone mentioned that Phil Collins hate sites had "flourished" online, and acknowledged that he had been called "the sellout who took Peter Gabriel's Genesis, that paragon of prog-rock, and turned it into a lame-o pop act and went on to make all those supercheesy hits that really did define the 1980s."

According to author Dylan Jones in his 2013 publication on 1980s popular music, many of Collins's peers "despised" him. Some fellow artists have made negative comments about Collins publicly. In 1990, former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters criticised Collins's "ubiquitous nature," including his involvement in the Who's 1989 reunion tour. David Bowie subsequently dismissed some of his own poorly received 1980s output as his "Phil Collins years/albums." In addition to the song's negative press from music journalists, singer-songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg criticised Collins for writing "Another Day in Paradise," stating: "Phil Collins might write a song about the homeless, but if he doesn't have the action to go with it he's just exploiting that for a subject." On the closing track of their 2014 album, What Have We Become?, titled "When I Get Back to Blighty," former Beautiful South collaborators Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott included the lyric "everyone around us agrees that Phil Collins must die," which musicOMH critic David Meller remarked in his review "is delivered with willing, almost pleasurable conviction by Abbott."

Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher criticised Collins on multiple occasions, including the comment: "Just because you sell lots of records, it doesn't mean to say you're any good. Look at Phil Collins." Collins said he has "at times, been very down" about Noel Gallagher's comments. Gallagher's brother, Oasis singer Liam, also recalled the "boring" Collins's chart dominance in the 1980s and stated that, by the 1990s, it was "time for some real lads to get up there and take charge." Appearing on the BBC television series Room 101 in 2005, in which guests discuss their most hated things and people, Collins nominated the Gallaghers to be sent into the titular room. He described them as "horrible" and stated: "They're rude and not as talented as they think they are. I won't mince words here, but they've had a go at me personally."

Genesis bandmate Mike Rutherford has praised Collins's personality, saying that "he always had a bloke-next-door, happy-go-lucky demeanour about him: let's have a drink in the pub, crack a joke, smoke a cigarette or a joint." He has been characterised by favourable critics as a "rock god," and an artist who has remained "down to earth." In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, published in 2004, J. D. Considine wrote: "For a time, Phil Collins was nearly inescapable on the radio, and enormously popular with the listening public - something that made him an obvious target for critics. Despite his lumpen-pop appeal, however, Collins is an incisive songwriter and resourceful musician."

Rolling Stone journalist Erik Hedegaard expressed disapproval of the widespread criticism which Collins has received, suggesting that he has been "unfairly and inexplicably vilified." Martin C. Strong stated in 2011 that "the enigmatic and amiable Phil Collins has had his fair share of mockers and critics over the years, although one thing is sure, and that is his dexterity and undeniable talent." In a piece the following year, titled "10 Much-Mocked Artists It's Time We Forgave," New Musical Express critic Anna Conrad said Collins had been portrayed as a "villain" and wrote: "Was the bile really justified? ... come on, admit it. You've air drummed to 'In the Air Tonight', and loved it." Guardian journalist Dave Simpson wrote a complimentary article in 2013; while acknowledging "few pop figures have become as successful and yet reviled as Phil Collins," he argued, "it's about time we recognised Collins's vast influence as one of the godfathers of popular culture."

Physical Characteristics: Collins had reportedly lost hearing in his left ear in 2000 due to a viral infection; the condition was resolved after the infection was cured. In September 2009, it was reported that Collins could no longer play the drums, due to a recent operation to repair a dislocated vertebrae in his neck. A statement from Collins on the Genesis band website said, "There isn't any drama regarding my 'disability' and playing drums. Somehow during the last Genesis tour I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands. After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can't function normally. Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano. I am not in any 'distressed' state; stuff happens in life." However, in 2010 Collins alluded to feelings of depression and low self-esteem in recent years, stating in an interview that he had contemplated suicide, but he resisted for the sake of his children.

In October 2014, Collins told John Wilson on BBC Radio 4's Front Row that he still could not play the drums; he said the problem was not arthritis but an undiagnosed nerve problem where he was unable to "grip the sticks." He confirmed in a 2016 interview that he was still unable to drum with the left hand; however, he has also said that after a major back surgery, his doctor advised him that if he wanted to play the drums again, all he needed to do was practice as long as he took it step by step.

Quotes from others about the person

• Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner: "Do you like Phil Collins? I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins' presence became more apparent. I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock. Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds. But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Sussudio, a great, great song, a personal favorite."
  
  Ice-T: "Don't mess with my Phil."

Interests

• Collins has a long-standing interest in the Alamo. He has collected hundreds of artifacts related to the famous 1836 battle in San Antonio, Texas, narrated a light and sound show about the Alamo, and has spoken at related events. His passion for the Battle of the Alamo has also led him to write the book The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey, published in 2012. A short film was released in 2013 called Phil Collins and the Wild Frontier which captures Collins on a book tour in June 2012. On 26 June 2014, a press conference was held from the Alamo, where Collins spoke, announcing that he was donating his entire collection to the Alamo via the State of Texas. On 11 March 2015, in honor of his donation, Collins was named an honorary Texan by the state legislature.
  
  Like Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton, Collins is a model railway enthusiast.

• Sport & Clubs

  basketball

• Athletes

  Spurs

• Music & Bands

  The Beatles

Connections

Collins was married to Andrea Bertorelli from 1975 to 1980. They met as 11-year-old students in a London drama class and later dated, but her family moved to Canada when she was 18. The two reconnected when Genesis performed in Vancouver, and they married in England when both were 24. They have a son, Simon Collins, born in 1976, who became the vocalist and drummer of the progressive rock band Sound of Contact. Collins adopted Bertorelli's daughter Joely, who became an actress and film producer. In December 2016, Bertorelli announced that she was taking legal action against Collins pertaining to his account of their relationship in his recent autobiography, Not Dead Yet.

Collins met his second wife, American Jill Tavelman, in 1980. They were married from 1984 to 1996. They had one daughter, Lily Collins, born in 1989.

Collins married his third wife, Orianne Cevey, a Swiss national, in 1999. They have two sons, Nicholas and Matthew. They bought Sir Jackie Stewart's former house located in Begnins, Switzerland, overlooking Lake Geneva. They divorced in 2008, with Collins paying £25 million, which became the largest settlement in a British celebrity divorce. Collins continued to live in Switzerland at the time, residing in Féchy, while he also maintained homes in New York City and Dersingham, Norfolk. In 2008, his ex-wife moved to Miami with the children from the marriage. Collins recalled: "I went through a few bits of darkness; drinking too much. I killed my hours watching TV and drinking, and it almost killed me." He said in 2015 that he had been teetotal for three years. In 2015, Collins moved to Miami to be closer to his family, living in a separate home previously owned by Jennifer Lopez. In January 2016, Collins said he had reunited with Cevey and they were living together in the house he had bought in Miami.

Father:

Greville Philip Austin Collins

Mother:

Winifred June Collins

ex-wife:

Andrea Bertorelli

ex-wife:

Jill Tavelman

ex-wife:

Jill Tavelman

Son:

Simon Collins

Daughter:

Joely Collins

Daughter:

Lily Collins

Son:

Nicholas Collins

Son:

Matthew Collins

colleague:

Eric Clapton

Collins produced and played drums on several tracks on Behind the Sun by Eric Clapton.

colleague:

Robert Plant

Collins performed most of the drum parts on Pictures at Eleven, the first solo album by Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant.

References

• Phil Collins: The definitive biography
• Phil Collins, Deluxe Anthology
• Turn It On Again: Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Genesis
• Genesis: Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and beyond
• The Living Years: The First Genesis Memoir
• My book of Genesis
• Genesis: Behind the Lines 1967-2007
• Focus On: 100 Most Popular Art Rock Musical Groups
• Genesis: The Complete Guide to their Music