Phil Collins ... has a cold!

Rock Music Hall of Famer, Phil Collins wandered into the bathroom of the Toronto Argonaut Football Team dressing room at Skydome.

He was looking for me.

His record company president had arranged for him to meet me. He'd agreed to pose for a portrait to support Special Olympics Canada. I was told to get my photographer and equipment in-place just before he went on stage for his Toronto concert.

I looked everywhere for a proper photo-shoot Skydome location.

Nothing was suitable.

The players' bathroom was my last stop.

I wasn't told Phil had the flu. So when I was face-to-face with him for introductions, I should have stayed back a little.

He was the 23rd celebrity who'd participated in our fund raiser portrait series.

I'm always surprised that celebrities are never as big as I expect.

He was no exception. He's tiny and his stature presented a major problem

-- a photo set-up problem.

He was already dressed in his concert clothes but there was a make-up lady doing her best to add a little colour to his flu-face. His stage manager kept checking his watch and was looking panicked. And five over-dressed female fans with posters-to-sign had also joined us in the bathroom.

"5 minutes Mr. Collins!"

Phil was very calm through all this distraction and started asking me about the charity. He wasn't just being polite. He wanted to know about the history.

"How many athletes are involved? How many sports do they play?

Is soccer in Special Olympics? What was my role and why'd I volunteer?"

He didn't look well. I guessed he also had a headache. Thousands of people were just beyond the curtain waiting for him to sing and bang a drum and the only one who didn't seem to be in a hurry was him.

After 10 minutes of friendly chatter even I was checking my watch.

While we talked I scanned the room - yes, the bathroom. I spotted it. A shelf that the football players likely use to put their shaving cream and hair dryers on.

It was perfect -- well lit with a solid background.

It was an odd spot to put a rock star. But he had no problem with my choice and I gave him a leg-up.

I became a Collins fan that day.

They say "the biggest stars are always the nicest people" ... he's the definition of that. Polite, interested and interesting, talkative, friendly, someone you'd want to have a beer with.

When we took the picture he said "How many do you want me to sign?"

I said, "Typically, our celebrities sign 50".

Typical of him he said, "For Special Olympics, I'll be happy to sign as many as you want." I took advantage of his generosity and created lots. 15 years after the shoot, we are still selling his autographed portrait.

His photo has earned thousands.

He provided our charity with a wonderful legacy.

I was told that Phil Collins loves performing in Toronto and the 35,000+ fans that were taking their seats in the cavernous Skydome were proof. He took the stage, wowed them - again and performed every song in his catalogue, beat the drum and never looked sick.

While we were bundling up our equipment his manager told me Phil wanted me to attend the "after party" before their show moved on to Buffalo for the next concert.

I declined.

I spent the next three days in bed with Collins' flu.

What a nice guy.

Phil in the ARGO bathroom

framed with a pair

of his drumsticks sold for an

average of $800 each

Phil signed 50 copies