Robin Gibb’s Last Words: A Touching Tribute to His Late Twin Maurice
Robin Gibb, one of the iconic voices of the Bee Gees, lost his long and courageous battle with colon and liver cancer on Sunday night. In his final moments, the 62-year-old star paid a poignant tribute to his late twin brother, Maurice, who passed away in 2003 due to complications from a twisted intestine.
“I wish Mo was here, I can’t believe he is gone,” Robin told his family members shortly before he passed away. His family, including wife Dwina, daughter Melissa (37), and sons Spencer (39) and Robin-John (29), had maintained a bedside vigil at a London hospital in recent weeks. Family sources revealed that the singer frequently spoke about Maurice during his final weeks. Notably, Maurice, Robin’s twin and bandmate, died from the same bowel condition that initially led doctors to operate on him.
Despite drifting in and out of a coma, Robin never acknowledged the possibility of his own death, instead “constantly” speaking of future tours with his brother Barry. A friend told the Daily Mirror newspaper, “We all knew he was seriously unwell, but his strength of character meant he never once mentioned the possibility he might not make it.” The friend added, “Instead he talked constantly about touring again, working with his brother Barry and about how much he missed Maurice, or Mo as he always called him. It was very moving to hear him speak so lovingly of his twin brother – as though he had never quite accepted that he had gone and still felt the same amazing connection between the two of them that they’d always had.”
Barry Gibb, 65, the lone surviving member of the trio, is reportedly heartbroken by the news, having heard it at his home in Miami, Florida. He made immediate plans to fly back to London with his 92-year-old mother Barbara to mourn with the family.
In addition to his touching tribute to Maurice, Robin made a dying wish for the Bee Gees’ classic 1977 hit, “How Deep Is Your Love,” to be the first song played at his funeral, asking his son Spencer to ensure it happened. A close friend told The Sun newspaper, “It’s a beautiful song, penned by a beautiful person. It couldn’t be more appropriate when we all say goodbye.”
The Bee Gees—comprised of Robin, Maurice, and Barry—sold over 220 million records in their illustrious career. Their journey was also marked by profound heartache, as their younger sibling, Andy, a successful singer in his own right, tragically died of heart failure at just 30 years old in 1988.
Following Robin’s passing, a multitude of stars paid tribute to the late singer, including Duran Duran, Liam Gallagher, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, Diana Ross, and John Travolta. Travolta, who starred in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever for which the Bee Gees penned the iconic soundtrack, stated, “I thought Robin was one of the most wonderful people—gifted, generous, and a real friend to everyone he knew. And we’ll miss him.” Sir Cliff Richard also honored Robin, praising the “stunningly good” legacy of songs he created with the group.
Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini described Gibb as “talented beyond even his own understanding,” hailing him as “one of the important figures in the history of British music.” He emphasized the Bee Gees’ monumental accomplishments, noting they are “second only to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful songwriting unit in British popular music,” having written hits for countless other artists. Gambaccini also highlighted Robin’s “one of the best white soul voices ever.” Other tributes poured in from Bryan Adams, Shane Filan of Westlife, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, former deputy prime minister John Prescott, The Script, Duran Duran, Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, and Dannii Minogue, among others. Cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong lamented, “Continues to sadden me to see cancer take our loved ones. Gotta put a stop to it.”
Robin Gibb’s health struggles became public after he underwent surgery for an unrelated bowel condition 19 months prior to his passing. During that procedure, a tumor was discovered, leading to a diagnosis of colon cancer, which subsequently spread to his liver. While it was believed his cancer was in remission just a month before his death, his health deteriorated with reports of a secondary tumor.
Dr. Andrew Thillainayagam, Gibb’s private physician, recounted how he had prepared the Gibb family for the worst, stating, “the prognosis was very grave… I warned Robin’s wife, Dwina, son, Robin John and brother, Barry, that I feared the worst.” He added, “As a team, we were all concerned that we might be approaching the realms of futility. It is testament to Robin’s extraordinary courage, iron will and deep reserves of physical strength.”
Robin Gibb was married twice: first to Molly Hullis (1968-1980), with whom he had two children, Spencer and Melissa; and then to Dwina Murphy-Gibb, an author and artist, with whom he had a son, Robin-John. His marriage to Dwina was notably “accepting,” surviving the public revelation that Robin had fathered a daughter, Snow Robin (four years old at the time of the article), with their housekeeper, Claire Yang. Claire and Snow Robin reside in Oxfordshire, five miles from the Gibb family’s converted monastery.
The Bee Gees will forever be remembered for providing the soundtrack to the 1970s with their Saturday Night Fever album, one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. With their distinctive falsetto harmonies and dancefloor-friendly sound, they captured the essence of an era. The trio’s humble beginnings trace back to performances in theatres in Manchester in the mid-1950s. Robin and his twin Maurice were born on the Isle of Man on December 22, 1949, three years after their brother Barry. Encouraged by their father, Hugh (a band leader), and their mother, Barbara (a former singer, who is still alive), the trio started as a child act. They continued performing after the family moved to Brisbane, Australia, in 1958. They adopted the name Bee Gees, an abbreviation of Brothers Gibb, and signed with the Australian label Festival Records, releasing a series of singles written by Barry during their teenage years.
In one of his last interviews, Robin admitted that he sometimes wondered if his illness was “karma” for his fame: “I sometimes wonder if the tragedies my family has suffered are a karmic price for all the fame and fortune the Bee Gees have had.” He first felt unwell on stage in Belgium in August 2010 and later had an emergency operation for a blocked intestine—a procedure that evoked painful memories of Maurice’s death from complications of a twisted intestine in 2003.
After his successful surgery, doctors advised him to have a scan, but the singer delayed for eight months, fearing bad news. “Of course I was scared, like most people in my situation would be. I just didn’t want to be told any bad news,” he confessed. Eventually, his wife Dwina and son RJ convinced him to have the scan, which revealed he had bowel cancer that had spread to his liver. “I didn’t cry, I just went into shock. I lost my appetite. I didn’t want to eat, and I certainly couldn’t sleep. I’d been in denial for so long,” he recalled. He underwent chemotherapy, while Dwina, a druid priestess, supplemented his treatment with health foods and herb teas.
Robin reflected on how his illness and the untimely deaths of his brothers had impacted his perspective: “The illness and the untimely death of my brothers made me conscious of the fact that – rather than just think about it – it’s crucial that you do today what you want to do. Now I know how precious time is and you can’t put it in the bank. I intend to make the most of every single second that I’ve got left.”