British singer and drummer Phil Collins announces his retirement

LONDON (AP) -- British singer and drummer Phil Collins has taken to his personal website to announce his retirement in a bid to clarify recent speculation over his career.

In a post titled "Breaking News," the multiple Grammy award winner writes that he wants to explain his reasons "for calling it a day" in response to articles claiming why he was quitting the music business.

"Many of the articles printed over the last few months have ended up painting a picture of me that is more than a little distorted," Collins explains.

Collins says he is stopping music so he can be a full time father to his two young sons "on a daily basis" - not because of bad reviews, bad press or because he doesn't "feel loved."

Collins has sold an estimated 100 million albums as a solo artist.

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