Phil Collins’ son Simon, 44, is charged with possessing cocaine in Ireland

Simon Collins, the son of English rock star Phil Collins, has been charged with possession of cocaine, a court in Ireland has heard.

The 44-year-old, a drummer, singer and musician in his own right, was allegedly found in possession of cocaine on January 18, 2020, in Killarney of southwest Ireland.

He was summoned to appear before Killarney District Court for the offence. His lawyer told the judge in the Tuesday hearing that Mr Collins will be pleading not guilty and the case will be contested.

The case has been adjourned until April 20 when another hearing will take place.

Simon Collins (pictured left), the son of English rock star Phil Collins (pictured right), has been charged with possession of cocaine, a court in Ireland has heard

Simon is a British-Canadian drummer and former lead vocalist of the rock band Sound of Contact.

He is the eldest son of Genesis drummer and solo artist Phil Collins and his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli.

Born on September 14, 1976, Simon spent his early years living in London before moving to Vancouver, Canada aged eight following his parents’ divorce.

Simon has two half-brothers and two half-sisters including 31-year-old Lily Collins, the star of the hit Netflix series Emily In Paris.

Despite the broken marriages, Simon and his siblings are a close-knit bunch — and especially fond of their troubled Dad who has been through the wringer of late, fighting an ugly court battle with his third ex-wife.

Inspired by his father, Simon picked up the drumsticks at a very early age. Phil Collins and son Simon Collins were pictured at 1994 Carousel of Hope Ball on October 28, 1994

Simon is the eldest son of Genesis drummer and solo artist Phil Collins and his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli. He is pictured with his mother, Andrea

Inspired by his father, Simon picked up the drumsticks at a very early age. And like his dad, his creativity and musical instincts eventually led him to the piano, where he began penning original material.

He made his stage debut aged 12, appearing alongside his rock legend father to play drums on the hit single Easy Lover. 

Simon began his music career as a member of the local punk band Jet Set before being signed by Warner Music in 2000 when he was brought to Frankfurt to record his trance-fuelled debut, ‘All of Who You Are’.

The album saw 100,000 copies sold in Germany and three singles were released after the initial success.

In 2012, Simon formed his band Sound of Contact with three fellow musicians in Vancouver as a lead vocalist and drummer. 

After spending 30 years in Canada, Simon moved to Wiltshire, England before relocating to Ireland two years ago.

Now based at a purpose-built recording studio in the depths of rural Ireland, he is promoting his own new album, his fifth, Becoming Human.