Robin Gibb Dies: Bee Gees Lose a Founding Voice

Robin Gibb died of cancer on May 20, 2012, at sixty-two, silencing one-third of the vocal harmony that powered the Bee Gees' five-decade run of global hits. Born on the Isle of Man on December 22, 1949, he was three minutes older than his twin brother Maurice. The family moved to Manchester and then to Brisbane, Australia, where the three Gibb brothers, Barry, Robin, and Maurice, began performing as children, singing between movie screenings at local cinemas. They returned to England in 1967 and signed with Robert Stigwood's management, producing the baroque pop hit "Massachusetts" that reached number one in the UK. Their sound evolved from orchestral pop through psychedelia before the Brothers Gibb transformation of 1975, when they reinvented themselves as disco's premier act. The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, released in 1977, sold over forty million copies worldwide and produced four number-one singles: "How Deep Is Your Love," "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever," and "More Than a Woman." The album defined the disco era and made the falsetto harmonies of the Gibb brothers the most recognizable vocal sound in popular music. Robin's tremulous tenor provided the emotional weight that balanced Barry's soaring falsetto. Beyond their own recordings, the brothers wrote and produced hits for other artists, including "Emotion" for Samantha Sang, "Woman in Love" for Barbra Streisand, and "Islands in the Stream" for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Maurice died in 2003, and Robin's death left Barry as the sole surviving brother. The Bee Gees sold over 220 million records worldwide.