Collins was inducted a second time, his first as a solo artist, at a ceremony that went ahead despite a nationwide FAA ground stop the day before.
Phil Collins was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on Saturday, November 14, and used his acceptance speech to say he is not finished. "You haven't heard the last of me," Collins said at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and added: "I promise you that."
It is his second induction. He entered the Hall in 2010 as a member of Genesis, which makes him one of a small number of two-time inductees.
Collins did not perform. He had said earlier this year that he declined an invitation to play because he wasn't "match-fit" enough to rehearse and sing properly, though he did not rule out returning to the stage. In his place, Cynthia Erivo took the stage to sing In the Air Tonight.
Travis Barker, the Blink-182 drummer, inducted Collins and played drums on Erivo's performance. Barker recalled the song's drums: "I remember hearing the drums for the first time and being blown away." He added: "That sound changed everything. It helped define the sound of drums in the eighties, and you can still hear Phil's influence today." Barker also highlighted how Collins had found success with Genesis and as a solo performer. "He wasn't just successful at both," he said, "he was one of the best at both."
Collins said he felt unprepared after a night of more polished speeches. He opened by telling the audience he was "really not as bad as it looks," and said his career began with one aim: "I grew up wanting to play drums. Everything else has been a happy accident."
On his assistant, Collins said he needed to name her despite her dislike of attention. He gave her credit for saving his life, and said she had told him what he was doing was bad for him and what to do about it.
"I'm not joking when I say without her I wouldn't be here."
He said he is "a well man now." Among those he expressed gratitude to were his longtime manager Tony Smith, Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun of Atlantic Records, and Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Records; Branson, he said, "took me under their wing and they saw something that was worth nurturing." Accompanying him to the event was his daughter, the actress Lily Collins.
To wrap up, he cited Eric Clapton and Robert Plant as musicians he has performed alongside. "These guys were heroes to me," he said.
The induction follows years of health issues. Following a spinal injury in 2007, nerve damage meant he could no longer hold a drumstick; since then he has had knee operations and continues to struggle with mobility. His son Nic played drums on Genesis' 2021-22 farewell tour while Collins sang from a seated position. In January, Collins informed the BBC that he has a live-in nurse on duty 24 hours a day. He is 75.
Going solo, Collins reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 seven times, with tracks such as Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now), Sussudio, One More Night and Another Day in Paradise. Both No Jacket Required and ...But Seriously reached number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The ceremony had been expected to go on despite the FAA's nationwide ground stop. The agency lifted it on Friday, and a Rock Hall representative confirmed all the artists taking part were already in town. Oasis, Sade and Iron Maiden had confirmed earlier in the week that they would not be attending. Fela Kuti was among the honorees, who will be presented with the Early Influence Award alongside Queen Latifah, Gram Parsons, Celia Cruz and MC Lyte.
Broadcast of the 2026 induction show is scheduled for Dec. 8, between 8 and 11 p.m. Eastern time, on ABC, with streaming on Disney+ arriving the next day.
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