Lily Collins pays emotional tribute to ‘special’ father Phil on his 74th birthday after he was forced to retire due to health issues

Lily Collins paid an emotional tribute to her father Phil on his 74th birthday on Thursday as the music icon continues to battle health issues that forced him to retire.

The actress, 35, took to Instagram to share a snap posing with Phil inside the Duke Of York Theatre during her run in the play Barcelona, which showed in the West End venue from October until January 11.

The Emily In Paris actress wore a sparkly silver and gold jumpsuit, letting her blonde tresses loose as she sat on the balcony, while Phil sported a black zip-up fleece with black trousers.

She also posted a sweet snap of the pair from Phil’s Hollywood Hall of Fame acceptance ceremony in 1999, when she was aged just 10.

She was seen proudly hugging her father during the Los Angeles event, as the Genesis rocker beamed while wearing a light grey long-sleeve polo with a silver watch.

Lily Collins paid an emotional tribute to her father Phil on his 74th birthday on Thursday as the music icon continues to battle the health issues which forced him to retire

The actress, 35, has frequently been by her father’s side including when he accepted his spot on the Hollywood Hall of Fame in 1999

Lily added the heartfelt caption: ‘From a west coast star to the West End stage and everywhere in between — I’m so grateful to be by your side and 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.

‘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…’

Lily also posted a video of herself in Rome at Hotel Eden as she noted that she and her father’s autographs were now side by side on the hotel’s walls.

She smiled as she said proudly: ‘Like father, like daughter. So proud to share space with you. Happy birthday, Dad.’

Phil has been coming to terms with his retirement, which was confirmed in 2022, admitting last month that the move was ‘still sinking in’.

The In The Air Tonight star stepped away from live concerts after suffering long-standing neck and back issues.

In a moving scene from a recent documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First, the frail-looking musician made an emotional return to his personal drum set, sitting at the instrument and holding a pair of sticks.

He also candidly discussed the way he feels about the realisation that he will not be able to play concerts anymore, in footage filmed in 2022.

Trailer for Phil Collins documentary ‘Phil Collins: Drummer First’

Phil (pictured, in 1980) has been coming to terms with his retirement, which was confirmed in 2022, admitting last month that the move was ‘still sinking in’

‘It’s still kinda sinking in a little bit,’ he said. ‘You know, I’m 71. I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock.’

The documentary saw Phil recount his life story in his own words, focussing on his passion for drumming rather than his singing career.

‘I’m not a singer who plays the drums,’ Phil said in one section of the film. ‘I’m more of a drummer who sings a bit.’

In one emotional scene, Phil was seen walking towards his drum kit with the help of his son Nic, 23, who stepped in as Genesis’s drummer during their farewell tours.

Holding the drumsticks for the first time in years, a visibly overwhelmed Phil admitted: ‘It just feels so strange to hold a pair.

‘If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I will have a crack at it. I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.’

The musician lost the feeling in his fingers following surgery in 2009 and could only play drums for the band, as he did previously, if the sticks were taped to his hands.

In 2009 he told the Daily Mail he was unlikely to ever play the drums again, as he revealed: ‘After playing drums for 50 years, I’ve had to stop. My vertebrae have been crushing my spinal cord because of the position I drum in.

A recent documentary saw Phil recount his life story in his own words, focussing on his passion for drumming rather than his singing career

In a moving scene, the frail-looking musician (pictured, with his son Nic) made an emotional return to his personal drum set, sitting at the instrument and holding a pair of sticks

‘It comes from years of playing. I can’t even hold the sticks properly without it being painful, I even used to tape the sticks to my hands to get through.’

Phil who had an injured vertebrae in his upper back was left with cripplingly painful nerve damage. His last performance was on March 26, 2022 alongside his Genesis bandmates at London’s O2 arena.

In his 2016 autobiography he revealed he’d struggled with alcohol abuse after his retirement and the following year he stated he was a type 2 diabetic and had received treatment in a hyperbaric chamber after a diabetic abscess developed on his foot and became infected.

He also suffers from a condition called foot drop after a back operation, leaving him needing a stick to help him walk.