Robin Gibb, co-founder of the Bee Gees, died on Sunday, at the age of 62, after a long battle with cancer.

A statement on Gibb’s website reads ” The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away on Sunday 20 May, 2012 at 10:46pm following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. They have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time.”

The webpage is filled with fans’ comments, sending love to Gibb and his family, and thanking him for his music and career. Celebrities also expressed their sadness online, mainly via twitter. Bryan Adams wrote “Robin Gibb RIP. Very sad to hear about yet another great singer dying too young;” Duran Duran mentioned the musical loss, “Sorry to hear about the passing of Robin Gibb of the BeeGees. Our condolences to his friends and family;” Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers added, “RIP Robin Gibb! Thanks for the great music!/ Cancer takes another great one,” just to cite a few.

Gibb’s battle with his illness began a couple of years ago, along with his treatment and what seemed to be a good recovery. Nevertheless, the illness worsened, until the late singer fell into a coma last month. Gibb eventually woke up. His son Robin-John told ITV News on that occasion “He woke up while we were playing the track which is a movement from the [Titanic] Requiem we have just written. He is completely compos mentis now and the first thing he said to me was, ‘Hi R-J, can you tell them my back hurts?’ so we got a nurse to turn him.”

“We said we loved each other. Two days before that they said they’d thrown the kitchen sink at him, that it was time to make plans because he was in God’s hands and such but he beats the odds again and they gave him an under 10 per cent survival chance and he has beaten the odds… he really is something else.”

Gibb’s career started in 1958, when the three brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb formed what would become one of the most famous and best-selling bands in music history, the Bee Gees. Their career took two different shapes in different eras. They started as a pop act, and went on under that form until the ‘70s, when they turned into one of the most popular acts for disco music, carrying on the success over the ‘80s as well. In 1997, the Bee Gees were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

After the sudden death of Robin’s twin brother Maurice in 2003, the Bee Gees retired the band’s name. In 2009, though, the surviving members declared willingness to reform the band, now a duo, and since 2010 the two brothers made sporadic appearances and performances. They also announced a duo tour which never took place though. Robin kept making music with his son, John-Robin, with whom he composed ‘The Titanic Requiem,’ on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the ill-fated ship. Unfortunately, Gibb was not able to attend ‘The Titanic Requiem’ premiere in London on April 10, due to his illness.

Image Courtesy of s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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The queen of Disco, Donna Summer, died this morning in Florida, after a long battle with lung cancer, at the age of 63. Even though Summer was fighting against her illness for a long time, the news of her death is somehow surprising. Summer had always been very discrete about the state of her health, and the fact that she was working on a new album gave a positive impression about her well-being. The late musician is survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano, three daughters, and four grandchildren.

Donna Summer was the undisputed queen of disco music, which developed during the ‘70s and the ‘80s. Summer was also a five-time Grammy winner, and the first female artist to win the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, in 1980, for “Hot Stuff”. In 2004 Summer was elected to the Dance Music Hall of Fame. She had an extraordinary career, with her biggest hits, such as “Last Dance,” “She Works Hard for the Money”, and “Bad Girls,” spreading over the ‘70s and ‘80s.

“Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith,” the singer’s family said in a statement today. “While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”

The internet community had a strong reaction to the death of the late singer, with fans and musicians expressing their sorrows thru the web channels. Among others, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers tweeted “woah! donna summer gone to the great beyond!!! chuck brown then donna summer they’re gonna be dancing in heaven!!! i love donna summer RIP.” Musician and producer Nile Rodgers wrote, “For the last half hour or so I’ve been lying in my bed crying and stunned. Donna Summer RIP,” and musician Questlove of The Roots tweeted, “I know that the whole ‘disco sucks’ stuff left a bad taste in the mouths of some. But Summer’s work was really a credible legacy.”

Donna Summer had become an icon for the gay community; her death falls on the International Day Against Homophobia, held every year on May 17. When asked in an interview with Clay Cane how she reconciled her being Christian with the acceptance for her gay fans, Summer replied “I don’t think I have to reconcile them. I just accept people for who they are. The Bible says you got to love everybody; it doesn’t make any exceptions, so I don’t make any exceptions.”

We would like to celebrate Donna Summer’s excellent career with one of her greatest hits of all times.

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