'Ban Phil Collins Comeback' Petition Shut Down: 'It Was A Silly Joke'

The petition to ban UK singer Phil Collins from making a comeback has been shut down after outraged fans of the veteran musician blasted the campaign and now the person behind the entire petition has announced it was all a "silly joke".

Brian Pee launched the Change.org petition a little over a week ago, shortly after Collins' announced that he was coming out of retirement to record new music and embark on a comeback tour.

By the time Pee closed off his petition, in which he also suggested he would take it to the UN, he had garnered over 4300 signatures in support of the campaign. 

However soon after fans launched their own counter-petitions, forcing to Pee shut the campaign down. 

"People who signed this get that it was a joke. Some others didn't," Pee wrote on the petition's now-defunct page.

"It very obviously wasn't a serious petition. Surely no one could think this was going to be sent to the U.N. It was low brow satire, a farcical jest that I shared with some friends."

"I doubt very much that Phil Collins would give a damn about my musical taste, and nor do I think anyone else should be bothered by something that was easy to see had no serious intent. It was a silly joke, that is all, no more than that."

Collins is set to release remastered versions of eight studio albums this month and plans to begin recording new music next year. A time frame for his proposed comeback tour is yet to be announced.