Robin Gibb Fighting For His Life
Gibb had been hospitalized in March due to complications with a twisted bowel that has troubled him throughout his life. Following the operation Gibb developed pneumonia and it is believed that his liver cancer, which he was told last month was in remission, has returned.
Earlier in the week, Gibb was forced to skip the world premiere of his first classical piece, ‘The Titanic Requiem,’ due to his failing health. The symphonic work was composed by Gibb and his son, Robin-John, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
His brother Barry and nephew Stephen flew from the United States to be at Robin’s bedside in this crucial time. The third member of the Bee Gees, Robin’s twin brother Maurice Gibb, passed away in 2003 from the same intestinal condition. The fourth Gibb brother, Andy, who had several hits in the late-1970s and early-1980s, died in 1988 of a heart condition brought on as a result of years of cocaine addiction.
Although Barry became the focal point of the band during its most popular period, it should be remembered that Robin sang lead on some of the Bee Gees’ most beloved hits from their Beatlesesque work of the late-1960s, including ‘I Started a Joke,’ ‘Massachusetts’ and, the now-sadly prophetic, ‘I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You.’