Last Living Bee Gees Member Reveals Falling Out With Brothers

Bee Gees co-founder Barry Gibb has opened up about a falling out he had with his late brother Robin shortly after the band shot to fame. Central to the argument was who was fronting the band. Unlike most bands, none of the brothers had a specific role within the Bee Gees, but in an interview with The Guardian, Barry said Robin insisted he was the frontman. This sparked tension that would last until they split in 1969.

"Before we ever became famous were the best times of our lives," Barry told the outlet. "There was no competition; it didn’t matter who sang what. When we had our first No. 1, 'Massachusetts,' Robin sang the lead, and I don’t think he ever got past that; he never felt that anyone else should sing lead after that. And that was not the nature of the group."

Barry explained that he, Robin, and Maurice contributed equally to the band.

"We all brought songs in; whoever brings the idea in sings the song," he noted.

Several years after breaking up, the brothers tried to revive the Bee Gees. At first, they struggled to achieve the same level of success, but in the '80s they were able to define themselves as credible songwriters. Then, in 2003, Maurice died. Barry admitted they "weren't really speaking" at the time of his death. After that, Robin was eager to keep the band going, which caused another fallout between the two brothers.

"We can’t just keep forcing ourselves on everyone, saying we’re the Bee Gees without Mo," Barry said. "He was very hyper about it, wanting us to remain the Bee Gees," he added of Robin. "I think he might have known that he was ill at least a couple of years before it became very serious. And I think, spiritually, he didn’t want to become an invalid. He just never wanted to be recognized as someone who had something wrong with him, so he hid it, from me anyway. And when I finally discovered what was wrong, I understood why he was so hyper, why he wanted to keep going, no matter what. I understood it then."

Robin was later diagnosed with cancer but chose to hide the news from Barry. He passed away in 2012 but they were not on good terms. Adding to his pain, Barry's last conversation with his brother Andy, was equally strained. Andy followed a solo career and Barry helped write and produce several of his songs, according to Stuff. The brothers were close but Andy battled addiction, which shook the foundation of their relationship. During their final conversation, Barry tried to use tough love to bring his brother out of the addiction. A few days later, Andy died.

"That’s all my brothers," Barry said.

"I’ve had to deal with loss, not just my brothers but my mother and father," he added. "But what I’ve learned from all of it is that things just roll on, and you roll on with them."