Phil Collins became tearful as the audience at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony rose to applaud him. Later in his acceptance speech, he offered fans a promise: “You haven’t heard the last of me.”
The 75-year-old musician received the honor Saturday, November 14, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker delivered his induction speech.
The award recognized Collins’s solo career, 16 years after he entered the Hall with Genesis in 2010. His work outside the band produced hits including “Against All Odds,” “One More Night,” “Sussudio” and “Another Day in Paradise.”
All five of his children were in the audience, including actress Lily Collins, according to the Associated Press.
Collins Thanks the People Who Supported Him
Tearful Phil Collins receives electrifying ovation at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony amid health battles https://t.co/cPpt9kUqCs https://t.co/zA7zgHqVOI
Page Six (@PageSix) November 15, 2026
Collins approached the podium with two canes and greeted the audience with a joke: “I’m really not as bad as it looks.” Reflecting on his early ambitions, he said he had grown up wanting to play drums.
“Everything else has been a really happy accident,” he said. He joined Genesis as its drummer in 1970 and became its lead vocalist after Peter Gabriel departed in 1975.
His thanks included longtime manager Tony Smith and the late Atlantic Records executive Ahmet Ertegun, whom he credited with recognizing and encouraging his potential. He also acknowledged friends Eric Clapton and Robert Plant and members of his staff.
According to USA TODAY, he credited longtime assistant Lindsay Evans with helping him improve his health. He thanked his three former wives and praised his children, acknowledging that he had made life difficult for them while they were growing up.
Cynthia Erivo and Travis Barker Perform “In the Air Tonight”
Barker recalled being astonished when he first heard the drums on “In the Air Tonight.” He credited Collins with inspiring him to pick up drumsticks and praised the musician’s ability to sustain success with both a band and a solo career.
Erivo performed a slower arrangement of the song, building toward its climactic final section. Barker joined on drums for the signature fill, and the performance brought the audience to its feet.
The song appeared on Face Value, Collins’s 1981 solo debut. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame credits his distinctive gated-reverb drum sound with helping shape the music of the 1980s, alongside a voice and songwriting style that crossed pop, soul and rock.
Collins Wants to Return to His Home Studio
Speaking backstage, Collins said he wanted to return to his home studio, according to Loudwire. He recalled enjoying his time there and said that, for several years, he had deliberately taken a longer route through his home to avoid walking past it. He described the possibility of doing some shows as a work in progress.
Health problems have limited Collins’s mobility and ability to drum. During Genesis’s farewell tour, his son Nic played drums while Phil sang seated. The band’s final concert took place at The O2 in London on March 26, 2022.
When the Rock Hall Ceremony Will Air
The recorded special will feature a class whose other Performer inductees included Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
ABC will air the ceremony Tuesday, December 8, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET/PT. It will be available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu beginning December 9.
