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Phil Collins’ daughter Lily Collins paid a sweet tribute to her musician father as the legendary drummer and songwriter celebrated his 74th birthday.
The British-American actress, 35, was born in Guildford and raised by dad Phil and his second wife Jill Tavelman – they divorced when Lily was seven.
She has since become a successful actress, starring as Emily Cooper in the hit Netflix series Emily in Paris, eventually receiving a Golden Globe nomination.
Her musician dad, who fronted the progressive rock band Genesis and had his own stellar solo career, has been battling mobility issues since a spinal injury in 2007.
In the loving Instagram upload, Lily posted two pictures containing her and her dad by each other’s sides – one from the past, and one from the present.
The first picture featured Lily and Phil together at a recognition ceremony, as he accepted his long overdue star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.
Second up was a far more recent picture, with Lily now all grown up and smiling with her dad Phil, backstage at a recent live theatre event.
In the caption, she said: ‘From a west coast star to the West End stage and everywhere in between — I’m so grateful to be by your side.
‘[I’m so grateful] for the support, experiences, and love we have and will continue to share. The older I get, the greater I appreciate all the little, special moments spent together.’
She concluded: Happy birthday Dad. I couldn’t love you more or be more thankful to celebrate you today and every day. Truly. To the moon and back again.’
Phil has been unable to play drums since 2022, and decided to retire from live performances thereafter, bringing his incredible 60-year career to an end.
Three years ago, in a documentary titled Phil Collins: Drummer First, he revealed he was still coming to terms with the potential end of his music career.
‘It’s still kinda sinking in a little bit,’ he said at the time. ‘You know, I’m 71. I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock.’
‘I’m not a singer who plays the drums, I’m more of a drummer who sings a bit,’ he explained, revealing why the documentary had been given that name.
Last year, Lily admitted that she had no clue that some of her dad’s biggest hits were actual songs, despite having heard them frequently when she was much younger.
When asked her favorite Genesis song, the Emily in Paris actress had to take a second before sharing: ‘The funny thing is that I have these memories, as a kid, of songs that I don’t know if they’re actually real.
‘Because they were in my head as I was maybe in the womb. When I went to my first Genesis concert as an adult, there were songs [played] that I went, “That’s a real song?! I thought that was just a melody in my head!”‘
However, proud daughter that she is, she was quick to say that her favourite song written by her dad was In the Air Tonight, which was a major UK hit for Phil in 1981.
Phil wrote the song You’ll Be In My Heart about Lily – it eventually won the Academy Award for best original song in 1999 after its use in the film Tarzan.
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