Lily Collins Celebrates Father’s Milestone Birthday
Lily Collins marked her father Phil Collins’ 75th birthday with a touching social media tribute, sharing recent and nostalgic photos of the pair. The actress, known for her role in Emily in Paris, posted the images on Instagram, capturing a joyful moment as they celebrated together. In her caption, she expressed deep gratitude and pride for his lifelong achievements and the happiness he has brought to fans worldwide.
“Yesterday Dad turned 75 and I feel so grateful to have celebrated together. For all you’ve accomplished, all the joy you’ve brought so many all over the world for all these years, all the lessons we’ve learned, all the memories we’ve shared, and all the new ones to come, thank you,” she wrote. “I count myself so lucky to have hugged you, laughed with you, and reminisced with you on such a monumental day. Proud is an understatement. Love you to the moon and back again.”
Fans Share Warm Wishes
The post drew an outpouring of support from fans, who praised Phil’s enduring musical legacy. One commenter noted, “Our dad is the soundtrack to so many of our lives, especially those born in 1967 like me. Happiest to you, sir!” Others added, “You’re a lucky girl. Your dad is a legend, and his music will never die. Happy birthday Phil Collins!” and “Your dad’s music has brought so much joy to my life and fans worldwide.” Additional messages included, “Listening to his songs yesterday non-stop. Happy Birthday Papa Collins,” and “Those are truly beautiful words, Lily! Congratulations to your father.”
Phil Collins’ Health Journey
The celebration comes shortly after Phil Collins opened up about his ongoing health challenges in a recent interview with Zoe Ball on BBC Two’s Eras – In Conversation. The Genesis singer and drummer, who retired in 2022, has faced type 2 diabetes and complications from a 2007 spine injury. He revealed undergoing five knee operations, relying on a 24-hour live-in nurse for medication management, and dealing with kidney issues linked to past heavy drinking.
“I’ve had challenges with my knee. I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me,” Phil explained. “I got COVID in hospital—my kidneys started to back up, you know, everything that started that could, all seemed to converge at the same time. I’ve had five operations on my knee now—I’ve got a knee that works and I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever.”
He attributed some issues to lifestyle choices post-tour, saying, “I’d probably been drinking too much, and so my kidneys were messed up. I enjoyed coming off tour, coming off the road, but I thought, right, I’m gonna do all those things that I couldn’t do. I wasn’t one of those guys that sort of stayed up all night drinking; I’d drink during the day, but I guess I had too much of it. I was never drunk, although I fell over a couple of times. But it is just one of those things that happened and it all caught up with me and I spent months in hospital.”
Despite these setbacks, Phil remains optimistic, stating, “There’s life in the old dog yet.” He emphasized his commitment to self-care and recovery.
Family Life and Future Outlook
Phil is father to five children, including actress Lily and sons Simon and Nic, both of whom have followed in his footsteps as drummers. Reflecting on life lessons, he told Zoe Ball, “I guess there’s a part of me that’s trying to make up for things that I’ve either done or have made people feel, or affected the kids in any kind of negative way. I mean, I had a very happy family life. My kids are amazingly well adjusted considering some of the things that they’ve been through. And as I said before, I’m very, very proud of all of them.”
Looking ahead, Phil expressed interest in potential new music endeavors. “The things that are ahead for me would be, apart from just being back to being totally mobile and healthy, is go in there and have a fiddle about and see if there’s more music ’cause you know, you tend to sort of feel, that’s it, I’ve done that. But you’ve gotta start doing it to see if you can do it. Otherwise you don’t do it. So that is something on my horizon.”
Phil’s career has been marked by varied experiences, including multiple marriages to Andrea Bertorelli, Jill Tavelman, and Orianne Cevey, with whom he briefly reconciled after their 2008 divorce.
