Phil Collins is the father of five children, including ‘Emily in Paris’ star Lily Collins.
Drumroll, please … introducing Phil Collins’ very talented family.
Collins is the father of five children, including three sons and two daughters. He welcomed them with women from three different marriages between 1975 and 2005.
The legendary drummer shares children Joely and Simon Collins with his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli, whom he was married to from 1975 to 1979. Phil wrote “In the Air Tonight” after failing to win her back post-divorce.
Phil shares actress Lily Collins with his second wife, actress Jill Tavelman, to whom he was married until 1994. The Emily in Paris star, who was five years old at the time of her parents’ tumultuous divorce, has since been vocal about the impact it had on her life.
The former Genesis member welcomed sons Nicholas and Matthew with his third wife, Orianne Cevey, to whom he was initially married from 2000 to 2006. Ten years after their split, the two reconciled, entering a relationship again after she divorced investment banker Charles Mejjati; they called it quits once more in 2020.
Phil is supportive of all his kids, and they are also vocal in their fondness for their dad. “Thank you for inspiring me and supporting the woman I am today. I love you to the moon and back again…” Lily wrote in an Instagram tribute to her dad.
Keep scrolling for everything to know about the rock icon’s five children.
Joely Collins, 52
Joely was born on Aug. 8, 1972 and is the daughter of Collins and his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli. She was welcomed into their family via adoption, and was raised in Canada where she began her career as an actress and a producer.
The eldest of the Collins siblings, Joely is known for her work on the Canadian TV shows Madison and Cold Squad. She also founded her own production company, StoryLab Productions, in 2009 and produced the feature film Becoming Redwood in 2012.
When her father decided to retire from music professionally for the first time in 2011, Joely was in part the reason why he chose to return to the music scene; Collins recalled her telling him “it’s very dangerous” to step away from the sticks, without a plan to return, after playing professionally since he was 19.
“To stop doing what you’ve done all your life,” the rock elder recalled her saying, “You’re taking away something that makes you tick.”
He concluded, “That stayed with me. Then you get out there [to perform], and people like what you do, and you think, ‘I can do more of this.’ “
Now, Joely is married to Dutch-born Stefan Buitelaar, with whom she shares one child, daughter Zoë Amelie. “I love being a mum! I think it is the most rewarding job you can have,” she told Canadian outlet Urban Moms.
Simon Collins, 47
Simon was born in London on Sept. 14, 1976 to Phil and Andrea, and is a musician in his own right.
His love for percussion began when Phil gave him a drum kit on his eighth birthday; he grew up alongside his dad’s band and accompanied them when they toured
“Genesis had a deep impact on my life,” Simon said in an interview with Hot Press. “Growing up around such amazing musicians, and such kind and lovely people, definitely got me in the mood for [progressive rock].”
While his father surely laid the foundation of his musical education — “throwing” him albums from bands like Pink Floyd, among other “prog rock” groups — Simon made it a point to pave his own path in the music industry, ultimately embarking on a solo career when signed by Warner Music Group.
Simon has shared a stage with his dad in the past, but Phil later shared the studio with his son when recording the track “The Big Bang” off Simon’s album U-Catastrophe. “We’ve worked together on various demos and we’ve played together on stage, but to actually go into the studio, we’ve never done that before,” the younger Collins told PEOPLE of his father in 2008.
In 2021, Simon opened up about his family dynamic when speaking with Express.co.uk about his father’s 70th birthday.
“Everyone in the family lives in different parts of the world,” Simon said at the time. “We’re all still in touch — we keep in touch via Zoom.”
Lily Collins, 35
Lily was born on March 18, 1989, to Phil and actress Jill Tavelman, the musician’s second wife. While the Emily in Paris star doesn’t have any biological brothers or sisters of her own, she does have half-siblings from her father’s other marriages.
Lily has pursued the acting route with much success, but similar to Simon, Lily wanted to pave that path on her own. “It was out of the question that people would think that I use a free pass thanks to my name,” she told Vogue France in November.
“I’m proud of my dad, but I wanted to be me, not just his daughter,” the Mank star continued. “I love to sing. But as I wanted to make my own way, far from the paternal genius — I preferred to be an actress.”
And she’s done just that! Lily has appeared on screen since her stint on the BBC sitcom Growing Pains at age two — but her breakthrough role didn’t come until the late 2000s when she starred in the Oscar-nominated film The Blind Side.
Lily — who’s married to Charlie McDowell, son of actors Mary Steenburgen and Malcolm McDowell — continued to land leads in the years that followed, but she turned heads again with her role as Marla Mabrey in the 2016 comedy Rules Don’t Apply, which earned the actress her first Golden Globe nomination.
The critical acclaim followed Lily with the Netflix hit Emily in Paris — her most recent work that not only earned the actress another Globe nod for her role as the titular character, but an Emmy nomination for the show as a whole.
Nicholas Collins, 23
Nicholas (who goes by Nic) was born on April 21, 2001, to Phil and Orianne Cevey, the musician’s third wife. Just like his father and older half-brother, Nic is a drummer in his own right and began at the age of two.
While the young talent had Collins to look up to growing up, he played professionally alongside his father on his solo tour for the first time at age 17 in 2017. “It’s not because he’s the boss’ son that he’s playing the drums, it’s because he’s good enough,” Phil said on the Australian show The Project at the time.
“The band fell in love with him… suddenly it was like he knew what he was doing and wasn’t in awe of the situation,” the proud father continued of his son. “I’m very pleased for him, and for me, that we get to go through this together.”
Now, Nic has a band of his own called The Effect, which he formed with Steve Maggiora, Emmett Stang and Trev Lukather — son of Toto rocker Steve Lukather.
“My earliest memories were watching my dad on his last tour and seeing him perform every night,” the drummer told PEOPLE in February 2024. “There was no question that this was going to eventually be what I wanted to do.”
Matthew Collins, 18
Matthew is Phil’s youngest child, who he welcomed with Orianne in 2005. Back in February 2016, when Collins confirmed to PEOPLE that he and his third wife resumed their relationship after splitting, the pair said that their kids were “over the moon” about their reunion.
“Matthew was saying it was his wish for his birthday. He was born on the first of December and he said, ‘Oh, my wish came true,'” said Orianne at the time.
Matthew remains private, but he has made public appearances alongside his family through the years. Some of those events include sitting court-side at NBA games and posing for photos with his father at red carpet events.
News
Cardi B Responds To Fan-Made Sophomore Album Cover Poking Fun At Delays
Cardi B‘s fans are growing anxious for her long-awaited sophomore album, passing the time by making fake cover art that pokes fun at the wait. In a post to X this week, a member of Bardi Gang shared a Photoshopped…
Cardi B reveals how much Kamala Harris paid her to campaign in Wisconsin
Cardi B hit back at critics who claim she was paid to appear at a Kamala Harris‘ campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and endorse the vice president. The hip-star spoke out as several celebrities have come under fire for receiving payment after…
Megan Thee Stallion Forgot To Wear Pants But Carried An $11,000 Bag
Megan Thee Stallion has never been one to sacrifice spiciness for high fashion. As the inventor of Hot Girl Summer, the rapper’s outfits usually have some type of risqué element, whether she’s donning glitzy underwear onstage or spicy swimsuits backstage. However, she typically adds a…
Megan Thee Stallion’s Mukbang Trying Puffer Fish Is a Must-Watch
Megan Thee Stallion is no stranger to a viral moment — from dance challenges to Jack-O’-Lantern photoshoots, the singer is clued into the culture and always feeds us well, but her latest video might take the cake. If you have been following Megan Thee…
Danica Patrick responds to Megan Thee Stallion’s millions claim with how much she got paid
Motorsports legend Danica Patrick has her say on rap star Megan Thee Stallion’s claim over payments to her from Donald Trump’s political campaign. Motorsports pioneer Danica Patrick has responded to rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion’s claim over payments from political campaigns. The…
Who are Megan Thee Stallion’s parents, and how did losing them shape her life? In a new Prime Video docu, the rapper talks about her mum’s death from cancer … and how her dad did jail time
Her mum was a bill collector, an underground rapper called ‘Holly-Wood’, and later her manager, while her father was in jail until she was eight – but became her best friend In her Prime Video documentary, Megan Thee Stallion: In Her…
End of content
No more pages to load