Another music great died. First, this past week, was Donna Summer and today, Robin Gibb joins that great disco ball in the sky.
From Rolling Stone: Robin Gibb, one-third of the Bee Gees, died Sunday after a long
battle with cancer, his spokesperson has confirmed via a
statement. Gibb was 62 years old.
"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," reads the statement. "The family have
asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."
Two years ago, Gibb battled colon and liver cancer, but despite
making what he called a "spectacular recovery," a secondary tumor
recently developed, complicated by a case of pneumonia. The singer was
hospitalized in mid-April and fell into a coma at one point, although the singer was later said to have regained consciousness and communicated with family members.
Gibb was born in the Isle of Man in 1949, along with twin brother
Maurice. (Mauricwase died in 2003 of complications from a twisted
intestine; eerily, Robin had surgery for the same medical issue in
2010.) Along with their older brother Barry, the brothers began
harmonizing as a trio in Australia, where the family moved in 1958.
Although the Bee Gees had some success in Australia – they hosted a
weekly variety show there – they didn't truly arrive until they
returned to England and signed with manager Robert Stigwood. Robin's
quivering, vulnerable voice was featured prominently on several of the
group's earliest and most Beatles-eque hits, including "New York Mining
Disaster 1941," "I Started a Joke," "Massachusetts," and "I've Gotta
Get a Message to You."
Although he looked and sounded like the meekest Bee Gee, Robin grew
into the family rebel. By 1969, he and Barry were feuding over whose
song should be singles, and Robin, then 20, was declared a "ward of the
state" by their father when his drinking and partying seemed to take
over his life. "It happened so fast that we lost communication between
us," Gibb later recalled. "It was just madness, really."
It seems like celebrity deaths do come in 3's. Last week, we had Donal "Duck" Dunn and then Donna Summer and now Gibbs.
RIP Robin, thanks for the memories and the disco era (well, maybe not the disco era).
You Know What To Do
1 hour ago
It feels as though a very important page of my favorite book of my youth has been torn away and gone to heaven.Whitney,Donna Summer,Robin Gibb,please no more,my heart is broken but at least I have all of their wonderful music to reflect on.Each and every one had a very special talent and place in my heart that will live on as long as i'm on this earth.R.I.P we will never forget you
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