May 20: Robin Gibb (CBE), of the Bee Gees died on this date in 2012...

... he was 62-years-old when he died from cancer.

Born on the Isle of Man on December 22, 1949 to English parents, Robin Hugh Gibb, was the twin brother of Maurice Gibb, and was the older of the twins by thirty-five minutes. He was the third-born of five children.

With his twin brother Maurice (1949–2003), and elder brother Barry, they formed the Bee Gees (Brothers Gibb), one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found major success when they returned to England.

In late 1958, he and his family moved to Brisbane, Australia, settling in one of the city's poorest suburbs, Cribb Island, which was subsequently demolished to make way for Brisbane Airport.

The trio started their musical career in Australia, and flourished when they returned to England in 1967 and were spotted by Robert Stigwood.

Robin has often been the lead singer, although he vied constantly with his elder brother Barry Gibb during the group's first period of British success in the late 1960s. This eventually resulted in Robin leaving the group to begin a solo career after his song "Lamplight" was relegated to the 'B' side of Barry's "First of May." There were also rumors of drug problems. He became so suspect, his parents threatened to have him made a ward of court.

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Although initially successful, with a number 2 UK hit, "Saved by the Bell" - which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc - his album, Robin's Reign, was not a success. He reunited with his brothers, despite having almost completed a second solo album, Sing Slowly Sisters, and who themselves,  had left the group for their own solo careers.

After they "un-dis-banded," they hit #3 on the U.S. charts with the song "Lonely Days" in 1970. The following year, they had their first U.S. #1 hit, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," but then their success wallowed.

In 1974, they started working with producer Arif Mardin and reinvented themselves with "Blue-Eyed Soul." The Bee Gees then went on to their second period of phenomenal success in the disco-era late 1970s.

Robin also promoted his solo career, and during the 1980s he released three further solo albums; How Old Are You, Secret Agent, and Walls Have Eyes, which were more successful in Continental Europe than in the U.K. or the U.S. His 1984 single, "Boys Do Fall in Love" did reach the Billboard top 40.

In the same week as his twin brother Maurice's sudden death, Robin's next solo album, Magnet, was released in Germany in January 2003, and worldwide afterwards. It features the old Bee Gees classic "Wish You Were Here" in a new acoustic version. The lead single, "Please" has coincidental lyrics about "loss."  

After Maurice's death, Robin and Barry disbanded the Bee Gees for a time; however, it was announced in late 2009 that Barry and Robin would reform and perform as the Bee Gees again.

During their careers the Bee Gees have sold over 178 million albums and won multiple Grammy Awards. Their career spanned over forty years.

In 2002, Robin was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, (CBE), along with his brothers.

In 1994, Robin Gibb was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1997 the Bee Gees were inducted as a group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

On 10 July 2009, both Robin and Barry were made Freemen of the Borough of Douglas. The award, was also bestowed posthumously on Maurice, therefore confirming the freedom of the town of their birth to all three brothers.

In 2004, Robin and brother Barry, received honorary Doctor of Music Degrees from The University of Manchester.

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