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The co-founder of the Bee Gees, Robin Gibb, passed away on Sunday after his long battle with cancer, according to a spokesperson. Gibb passed away at the age of 62. A statement read as follows:
“The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time.”
Gibb began battling colon and liver cancer two years ago but he made an excellent recovery until a secondary tumor was found and pneumonia in April complicated things. In April, Gibbs was hospitalized and reportedly fell into a coma but later regaining consciousness and was able to talk to family members. Gibb and twin brother Maurice were born in 1949 on the Isle of Man. Maurice passed away in 2003 for complications from a twisted intestine. Gibb needed to have surgery for the same issue in 2010. The oldest brother, Barry, and the other two boys began harmonizing in 1958 when the family moved to Australia.
The Bee Gees never really took off until they returned to England and signed with Robert Stigwood, with Robin’s voice featured on the group’s earliest hits. Those songs included “New York Mining Disaster 1941,” “I Started a Joke,” “Massachusetts,” and “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You.” Robin and Barry feuded relentlessly beginning in 1969 over whose song should be the single for the group. Later in life, Robin recalled that “It happened so fast that we lost communication between us. It was just madness, really.”
In 1971, Robin made the initial call to Barry so the brothers could reunite. Barry and Maurice attempted to continue the group as a duo, which failed, and a solo career for Robin also failed. “If we hadn’t been related, we would probably have never gotten back together,” Robin said when the brothers reunited.
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The group became popular again when they released ‘Jive Talkin’’ in 1975 and then the group made major contributions to the movie ‘Saturday Night Fever’ two years later. The final album released by the Bee Gees was in 2001 and it was called ‘This Is Where I Came In.’ Maurice passed away two years later, which ended the group’s life as well. The youngest brother, Andy, passed away in 1988.
In 2010, Robin and Barry reunited to appear on ‘American Idol’ and to induct ABBA into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Recently, Robin and his son, Robin-John, released ‘The Titanic Requiem,’ a piece featuring orchestral music and vocal pieces about the ill-fated ship. “It’s a serious subject and it’s not a rock opera. There are no backbeats. This could have been written 300 years ago,” Gibb said.
