End of the Road for Collins and Wife

03/15/2006 11:00 PM, E! Online


It looks like there won't be another day in paradise for Phil Collins and his wife of six years, Orianne.

The couple announced they were splitting in a joint statement released Wednesday. "They have decided in the interests of their two children that it is better to separate," Collins' publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in the press release. "They are both very sad that it should come to this, but have as their priority the welfare and happiness of their children and are determined to remain friends and be loving parents to them." The couple have two sons, Nicholas, 4, and Matthew, 1.

Apparently something was in the air before tonight. Buxbaum revealed that the pair have been living apart since the beginning of this year and had been growing apart for some time. They currently live in Switzerland, and Collins has said he will continue to reside there to be near his kids.

This was Collins' third trip down the aisle. The Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter also has three children from his previous marriages.

Collins, 55, joined "Invisible Touch" band Genesis in 1970 as a drummer and took over on lead vocals singer after Peter Gabriel left the post to pursue a solo career. Collins ended his run with Genesis in 1996, the group having sold more than 100 million records over the years.

The London-born Collins scored an Album of the Year Grammy in 1985 for his solo album No Jacket Required. His 1990 song "Another Day in Paradise" won a Grammy for Record of the Year.

Even when record sales were slumping, Collins remained a popular concert attraction, regularly selling out arenas whenever he was on tour promoting an album. He also has lent his pipes to a number of charity events, such as Lava Aid in 1997 (benefiting victims of a volcano eruption in the Caribbean). He joined fellow Brits Paul McCartney, Sting, Eric Clapton and Elton John onstage that year in tribute to Princess Diana, with all proceeds going to her memorial fund.

In 1999 Collins won an Academy Award for Best Song for "You'll Be in my Heart," the theme song to Disney's Tarzan and Collins' first Top 40 single in five years.

Although Collins announced in 2003 that he had lost his hearing in one ear and would be launching his First Final Farewell Tour--he has continued to work the road. He released the three-disc Platinum Collection in 2004 and has kept busy penning the score to the Broadway adaptation of Tarzan, scheduled to open May 10.