Robin Gibb's Life

Robin Hugh Gibb was born on December 22, 1949 in Douglas, United Kingdom, about thirty minutes before his twin brother Maurice Gibb. His parents, Barbara and Hugh Gibb, were both musicians. Barbara sang and Hugh was a drummer and bandleader. Gibb had four siblings, older brother and sister, Lesley and Barry Gibb, twin Maurice, and younger brother Andy Gibb. The Gibb family moved for some time to Manchester, England before emigrating to Australia in 1958. During his childhood, Maurice, Andy, and Robin began a band which went by several names, but finally settled on The Bee Gees. It was in Australia where they first tasted success, topping the charts there in 1965 with Spicks and Specks. In 1966 they relocated back to the UK and landed a recording contract with Polydor. Chart success followed in the United States and the UK. In the late 1960s, tensions arose in the band. Robin briefly left to pursue a solo career but the group reunited and continued to become more successful, including switching to a more disco tone. In  1977 The Bee Gees wrote and produced five songs for the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever. The film was a hit and the soundtrack album went on to become one of the biggest selling of all time, elevating the band to superstar group status. Robin and the rest of the group also became known for penning hit records for other song artists such as Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, and Diana Ross. In 2003 Maurice Gibb died. In 2011 it was announced that Robin was suffering with cancer. After a battle with the disease, Gibb died on May 20, 2012. His only surviving sibling is his younger brother, Andy Gibb. He was 62 at the time of his death.