Phil Collins' $350M Legacy: Music Icon & Father of Emily in Paris Star Lily Collins

Phil Collins' $350M Legacy: Music Icon & Father of Emily in Paris Star Lily Collins.

What is Phil Collins' Net Worth?

Phil Collins, the renowned English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and author, boasts a net worth of $350 million. He stands out as one of the wealthiest drummers globally, one of the richest Oscar winners in history, and one of the top lead singers of all time. As of now, Collins has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, both as a solo artist and as a member of Genesis. He is among the select few, alongside Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, who have achieved the milestone of selling more than 100 million albums both solo and with a group. His accolades include seven Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, and an Oscar.

Earnings

During a successful touring year, Collins can rake in up to $50 million. For instance, after his "Not Dead Yet Tour" grossed $90 million, he took home $45 million.

Genesis Back Catalog 

Phil and his Genesis bandmates, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, sold their music catalog rights to Concord Music Group Inc. for a staggering $300 million.

Early Life

Philip David Charles Collins was born on January 30, 1951, in Chiswick, Middlesex, England, which is now part of the London Borough of Hounslow. He grew up with two siblings, raised by their parents, Greville Philip Austin Collins and Winifred June Collins (née Strange). At the age of five, Collins received a toy drum set, which sparked his passion for music. As he honed his skills, his parents upgraded his drum sets. He cites the Beatles, particularly Ringo Starr, as a significant influence on his musical journey.

Genesis

Collins embarked on his professional music career in 1970 as the drummer for Genesis, a band that had already released two albums. While with Genesis, he also provided backing vocals for lead singer Peter Gabriel but had the opportunity to sing lead on two tracks: "For Absent Friends" from the 1971 album "Nursery Cryme" and "More Fool Me" from the 1973 album "Selling England by the Pound."

After Peter Gabriel departed from the band, Collins took over as the lead vocalist. He had a sound that was described as "more like Gabriel than Gabriel himself," and during his time as Genesis' singer, he released several albums, including "A Trick of the Tail" (1976), "…And Then There Were Three…" (1978), "Duke" (1980), "Abacab" (1981), "Genesis" (1983), "Invisible Touch" (1986), and "We Can't Dance" (1991). In March 1996, Collins decided to leave Genesis to concentrate on his solo career. While still part of the band, he had been simultaneously releasing his own solo projects.

Solo Career

His solo discography features albums like "Face Value" (1981), "Hello, I Must Be Going!" (1982), "No Jacket Required" (1985), "…But Seriously" (1989), and "Both Sides" (1993). His 1985 album "No Jacket Required" achieved remarkable success, selling over 20 million copies globally and remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. After leaving Genesis, he established the Phil Collins Big Band, where he played the drums and performed jazzy interpretations of both Genesis songs and his own works. In October 1996, he released "Dance into the Light," his sixth solo studio album.

Although it peaked at No. 4 in the UK and No. 23 in the US, it received mixed reviews and did not perform as well commercially as his earlier solo albums. Collins was later approached by Disney to create and perform songs for the animated film "Tarzan" (1999). His contributions, which included singing in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish for various versions of the film and soundtrack, were met with acclaim. Notably, the song "You'll Be in My Heart" topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for 19 weeks, marking the longest duration for a single track in that position at the time. For this song, Collins won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 2000.

In 2002, Collins put out the album "Testify," which received the lowest reviews at the time of its launch (though it has since been outdone). The following year, he made a return to Disney, contributing to the soundtrack of the animated film "Brother Bear" (2003). He not only performed several tracks, including "Look Through My Eyes," but also took on roles as a composer and songwriter. In 2010, he released his eighth solo album, titled "Going Back."

Awards and Other Work

In 2015, Collins entered into an agreement with Warner Music Group to remaster all his solo albums. The next year, he released his autobiography, "Not Dead Yet." Since then, he has kept busy with tours, both as a solo artist and with Genesis, which has reunited on several occasions, including their "Turn It On Again: The Tour" in 2006. His solo career has garnered him a dedicated fan base and numerous accolades, including seven Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Disney Legend Award.

Personal Life

Collins has been married three times and has gone through three divorces. Throughout these relationships, he has paid a total of $84 million in divorce settlements, with about half of that amount going to his third wife, Orianne Cevey, as we will discuss shortly. His first marriage was to Andrea Bertorelli, lasting from 1975 to 1980. They were classmates in a drama class in London and first met at the age of 11.

Related: Ashton Kutcher’s $200M Net Worth Empire: From Sitcom Star to Tech Mogul

They later reconnected at a Genesis concert in Vancouver and began dating. They share one son, Simon Collins, who was the former lead vocalist and drummer for the rock band Sound of Contact. His second marriage was to Jill Tavelman, which lasted from 1984 to 1996. Their divorce settlement reportedly included a $25 million payment from Collins to Tavelman. They have one daughter together, the actress Lily Collins.

His third marriage, to Orianne Cevey, lasted from 1999 to 2008. As part of their divorce settlement, Collins paid Cevey $45 million. They have two sons together. He was then in a relationship with Dana Tyler, an American news anchor, from 2007 to 2016. After their split, he moved to Miami, where Cevey and their two sons were residing. Reportedly, he then reconnected with Cevey.

Real Estate

In 2015, Phil Collins paid $33 million for an 11,000-square-foot waterfront mansion in Miami. He listed the home for sale in December 2020 for $40 million, ultimately accepting $39 million. The buyer was private equity billionaire Orlando Bravo. Just a few months prior to the sale, Phil claimed that his ex-wife, Orianne Cevey, was refusing to leave the mansion unless she reportedly was paid $20 million. This is after she previously received the aforementioned $45 million divorce settlement. Unclear if any payment was ultimately made to facilitate her exit.

Collins has long owned property in his native England.