The voice of Bee Gees' Robin Gibb goes silent
Source: Agencies |
May 22, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BEE Gees singer Robin Gibb, who with brothers Barry and Maurice helped define the disco era with their falsetto harmonies and funky beats on smash hits such as "Stayin' Alive" and "Jive Talkin'," has died after a long fight with cancer. He was 62.
The singer had colon and liver cancer and, despite brief improvements in his health in recent months, passed away on Sunday evening.
"The family of Robin Gibb ... announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," a statement posted on his official website said.
"The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."
Hundreds of tributes poured on to the Twitter microblogging site, including from record labels and fellow musicians, and at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, United States, the show was stopped for a moment of silence as a large black-and-white picture of Gibb was displayed as the stage's backdrop.
Neil Portnow, chief executive of Grammy organization the Recording Academy, said the six-time winner of the industry's highest award, "had an indelible impact on music."
"His distinctive vibrato voice was part of the trio's signature harmony," Portnow said in a statement. Fans "will continue to sing and dance to his music that will be 'Stayin' Alive' for many generations to come."
Gibb spent much of a career spanning six decades pursuing solo projects. But it was his part in one of pop's most successful brother acts, the Bee Gees, that earned him fame and fortune.
Born in 1949 on the Isle of Man, located between England and Ireland, Robin and his family moved to Manchester where the brothers performed in local cinemas. They went to live in Australia where the Bee Gees as a group was officially born, and in 1963 released the first single "The Battle Of The Blue And The Grey."
The Bee Gees achieved superstardom in the 1970's with album sales estimated today at up to 200 million, putting them in the same league as the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.
Robin's twin Maurice passed away in January 2003, aged 53, of complications resulting from a twisted intestine, a condition that plagued Robin towards the end of his life. Robin is survived by his second wife, Dwina, and four children, as well as his mother Barbara, older brother, Barry, and sister Lesley Evans.
The singer had colon and liver cancer and, despite brief improvements in his health in recent months, passed away on Sunday evening.
"The family of Robin Gibb ... announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," a statement posted on his official website said.
"The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."
Hundreds of tributes poured on to the Twitter microblogging site, including from record labels and fellow musicians, and at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, United States, the show was stopped for a moment of silence as a large black-and-white picture of Gibb was displayed as the stage's backdrop.
Neil Portnow, chief executive of Grammy organization the Recording Academy, said the six-time winner of the industry's highest award, "had an indelible impact on music."
"His distinctive vibrato voice was part of the trio's signature harmony," Portnow said in a statement. Fans "will continue to sing and dance to his music that will be 'Stayin' Alive' for many generations to come."
Gibb spent much of a career spanning six decades pursuing solo projects. But it was his part in one of pop's most successful brother acts, the Bee Gees, that earned him fame and fortune.
Born in 1949 on the Isle of Man, located between England and Ireland, Robin and his family moved to Manchester where the brothers performed in local cinemas. They went to live in Australia where the Bee Gees as a group was officially born, and in 1963 released the first single "The Battle Of The Blue And The Grey."
The Bee Gees achieved superstardom in the 1970's with album sales estimated today at up to 200 million, putting them in the same league as the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.
Robin's twin Maurice passed away in January 2003, aged 53, of complications resulting from a twisted intestine, a condition that plagued Robin towards the end of his life. Robin is survived by his second wife, Dwina, and four children, as well as his mother Barbara, older brother, Barry, and sister Lesley Evans.
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