Robin Gibb, 62, died Sunday “following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery,” his family announced in a statement released by Gibb’s representative Doug Wright.
His death dashed the hopes of Bee Gees fans who’d hoped that a miracle was in store after the singer emerged from a coma late last month.
Prior to his regaining consciousness, his family had revealed that Gibb had been given only a 10 percent chance of surviving and seemed to be preparing the public for his imminent death. Despite the shock fans are now experiencing, family members surely feel grateful for the month they had with Gibb after his unexpected awakening.
Robin follows Maurice (a fellow Bee Gee) and Andy (a solo artist) in death, leaving eldest brother Barry as the sole survivor among the legendary Brothers Gibb.
The Bee Gees had officially retired as a group in 2003, following Maurice’s passing, although Barry announced in 2009 that there were tentative plans to revive the act as a duo a potential reunion that never came to be after Robin fell seriously ill in 2010.
The Bee Gees, born in England but raised in Australia, began their career in the musically rich 1960s but it was their soundtrack for the 1977 movie “Saturday Night Fever” that sealed their success. The album’s signature sound — some called it “blue-eyed soul” — remains instantly recognizable more than 40 years after its release.
Gibb is survived by his second wife, Dwina, and four children, as well as his older brother, fellow Bee Gee Barry Gibb, and his sister Lesley Evans, who lives in Australia.