Bee Gees star Robin Gibb dies

Robin Gibb, singer with the legendary British band the Bee Gees, died aged 62 after a lengthy battle against cancer, his family said.

In this January 1979 file photo, the British pop group the Bee Gees, from left, Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb and Maurice Gibb. A representative said on Sunday, May 20, 2012, that Robin Gibb has died. He wasShow more

LONDON // Robin Gibb, singer with the legendary British band the Bee Gees, died on Sunday aged 62 after a lengthy battle against cancer, his family said.

"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," said a family statement.

Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb scaled the heights of the pop world in the 1970s with disco hits including "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", and "Night Fever".

The band notched up record sales of more than 200 million since their first hits in the the 1960s.

Mr Gibb underwent bowel surgery 18 months ago for an unrelated condition but a tumour was found and he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon and the liver.

Back in February, Gibb said he had made a "spectacular" recovery from his treatment, sparking hopes that his cancer was in remission, but recently experienced a sharp deterioration.

The singer fell into a coma last month after contracting pneumonia, but had raised hopes of survival after making another recovery.

Mr Gibb was born on December 22, 1949 on the Isle of Man, the British crown dependency, about half an hour before Maurice.

Soon after the twins were born, the Gibb family moved to Manchester, northwest England, and then to Brisbane in Australia in 1958.

The Bee Gees soon became child stars and had their first hit in 1963, "The Battle of the Blue and Grey", performed on national television.

Mr Gibb's twin brother Maurice died of a heart attack in 2003 following intestinal surgery.

DJ Paul Gambaccini on Sunday called Gibb "talented beyond even his own understanding".

"Everyone should be aware that the Bee Gees are second only to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful songwriting unit in British popular music," he said.

"Their accomplishments have been monumental. Not only have they written their own number one hits, but they wrote huge hit records for Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Celine Dion, Destiny's Child, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, the list goes on and on."

Mr Gibb was married twice, to Molly Hullis from 1968 to 1980, and to author/artist Dwina Murphy-Gibb and is survived by three children; Spencer, Melissa and Robin-John.

He was made a CBE in the 2002 New Year's Honours List, along with his brothers.