When I think about the music that my parents played growing up, I count myself very blessed for in amongst the classic albums of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, there was always a Bee Gees number in there somewhere. They were brought to my attention through being a fan of Grease and Saturday Night Fever and my mum was always a huge fan of Barry Gibb and their music. To me, the Bee Gees were just as important in music history as The Beatles were, but they don't get the full recognition that they deserve. I watched a Glastonbury clip on You Tube recently and it was from a few years ago when Coldplay had a surprise guest on stage and it was none other than Barry Gibb himself. With such music royalty you'd have thought that the audience would be screaming the place down but unfortunately this particular audience were a bit lukewarm and I was angry at my laptop screen because I thought that Barry deserved a heroes welcome.
I understand that a lot of the people in that audience are of a certain age and taste but that's no excuse, The Bee Gees were before my time but I still know who they are, but anyway, I'm sure you know the significance of how important the Bee Gees have been to the world of music. I had to begin this post talking about the Bee Gees because the person I'm focusing on in this post was the youngest of the Gibb brothers, Andy. All together there were four brothers.
The Bee Gees were formed in 1958 as a trio, Barry, Robin and Maurice. Barry was the oldest of the Gibb brothers and each were very talented singers, songwriters and musicians in their own right. The height of the band's success was in the late 1960s through to the 1970s but they were so incredibly popular with numerous hits not only for themselves but writing for other artists that they pretty much cemented their place in music history. They continued to release songs and tour up until the sad deaths of Robin and Maurice. Maurice was only 53 when he passed away on the 12th of January 2003, after issues with his health and suffering from a cardiac arrest. Robin passed away on the 20th of May 2012 at the age of 62. He had battled a number of health conditions in the later years of his life which were connected to colon cancer. As I move along this post I will be talking more about Andy but if you are unaware of his story you've probably pretty much guessed sadly that Andy too is no longer with us. I will go into the circumstances of his death as we go on but a heartbreaking outcome all round to find that Barry is the only one left out of the four brothers who is still standing. Barry is still going strong at the remarkable age of 78 and there really is no end to that man's talent.
So, as you can imagine, Andy being so much younger than his brothers, being born on the 5th of March 1958 in Manchester, England, there was about 8 to 9 years between him and his two brothers Robin and Maurice. Barry being the oldest was 12 years apart in age from Andy. The funny thing is that Andy and Barry were almost like twins despite the age gap, they both looked alike, acted alike and even had the same birthmark. Andy idolized Barry and wanted to be just like him. Andy's upbringing was quite a surreal one, when his three brothers began making waves the whole Gibb family went from being a working class poor family from England to a worldwide sensation. Andy was still very young but watched in awe as his brothers, particularly Barry, got so much positive attention everywhere they went, screaming girls, fancy cars, fancy clothes and a never-ending supply of money. Whenever Andy wanted a new toy he got it, his brothers made sure that he and the family never went without a single thing.
Andy's original dream was not to follow his brothers into the world of music, he wanted to be a Doctor. Being a Doctor seemed to be what he was set on until Barry bought him a guitar and he became hooked on playing. He still hero-worshipped Barry and decided that he wanted to get into music himself. Barry, his other brothers and his parents were all very supportive and encouraged him to keep practicing.
Barry, Robin and Maurice, despite their success, knew how hard the music industry was and the pressures that came along with fame. They did their best to shield Andy from the showbiz lifestyle but it was very difficult. Andy was determined to be a star but he was also very shy at times and didn't have the confidence like that of his brothers. He was often described as being very sensitive. As Andy got older he expressed his desire to be famous like his brothers and really wanted to be part of the Bee Gees. For some reason the option of Andy joining the Bee Gees was never entertained by the other brothers for reasons best known to them. The trio had already cemented their place in music history and they were supportive of Andy with encouraging him to keep practicing and really go for a career but they didn't want him to be part of the band.
With the help of his parents, brothers (especially Barry), Andy was set up with a music career. Barry helped him with songwriting and was a mentor to him. His mother got a band together and acted as a manager. Things took a while to take off and there were some dramas at this time. Andy was quite careless and found himself in a number of mishaps whilst living in Australia, especially a very serious one where he was driving a new car and accidentally ran someone over, the victim was sadly left disabled for life, having lost both legs and Andy's parents reportedly freaked out when they were aware of what happened and moved him as quick as they could out of the country.
There was numerous stops and starts with his music career and he was constantly billed as 'The Bee Gee's Youngest Brother', this irked him but at the same time he understood that it was how it was supposed to be because a lot of people still didn't know who he was. With Barry's help he recorded the now classic song 'I Just Want To Be Your Everything'. Andy didn't have the confidence in his songwriting despite Barry encouraging him to keep going because he believed that he really had something. Barry was known to be an incredible songwriter who could basically write a hit in 15 minutes, right on the spot. Not to take away from Andy's talent because he was very gifted himself but Barry pretty much helped Andy a lot with his music career, not just songwriting and advice but backing vocals, harmonies and in some cases he would sing the song and Andy would sing over the top of it.
There had been some drama in Andy's love life with a woman he had met in Australia, she was constantly being a thorn in his side and played on his vulnerabilities. When she blackmailed him into marrying her, the Gibb family (along with his friends) didn't approve and none of the Gibb family attended the wedding. The relationship was on and off for a while before they finally called it quits but not before she dropped a bombshell that she was pregnant. At the very height of Andy's success which was in the late 1970s to early 1980s, instead of being able to sit back and enjoy finally having made it, he still faced the constant comparisons to his brothers and accusations that Barry basically gave him a career despite all he had done to work so hard. Andy wrote songs which weren't released and this further frustrated him. He was a fantastic singer with a great personality and was very talented on the guitar but he didn't have the self belief and confidence like he wasn't really ready, he certainly struggled tremendously with fame. He'd struggled with being known as 'The Bee Gees Kid' and struggled even more so when the spotlight was fully placed on him.
The music industry stuck a label on Andy claiming he was a teen heartthrob and he wasn't too comfortable with this either knowing fine well how short such careers tended to be in the music industry. When people went to see Andy perform they thoroughly enjoyed his performances and could see that he was very passionate and giving his all. He talked about how he enjoyed performing but also said that if there were times that things were getting a bit quiet he would perform some of the Bee Gee's songs and that would bring the audience to life. When he talked about singing his brothers songs, it wasn't negative, he loved singing the songs because he really wanted to be the fourth Bee Gee. There were moments when the Bee Gees were on tour and they would bring Andy on stage and it all seemed to work out great but still they decided it best that he didn't join them permanently. Robin mentioned in an interview that he didn't want Andy to be part of the band. It's actually very sad when you think about it and confusing at the same time. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this. Why did the brothers decide not to have him in the band? Do you think it would have worked?
Andy was trying to make a name for himself and he did have some success but when he tried to continue the novelty was starting to wear off. There was initially excitement around him (he actually had a very impressive start to his career with three number one singles as a new artist) because he was the youngest Gibb brother and he was very handsome but for some reason, maybe because of the style of music and the change of music styles at the time going into the 1980s, his popularity was beginning to wane especially with the death of Disco music. He became involved with a TV show called 'Solid Gold' and had also been very popular in musical theatre productions. Despite things not going quite to plan with the music career, he still had a lot of public interest and a lot of things going for him in his career, he was also dating one of the most beautiful women in the world at the time, actress Victoria Principal. You would have thought that this would have helped make things a bit better for him because he did have some success but it just wasn't in the same vein as his brothers. His was a different type of road to success but still he wasn't happy within himself.
Andy was never a complete angel but around this time the drugs took hold of him in a big way and he was in constant bouts of depression. It began affecting his career and his relationship as well as his health. He'd been back and forth to the hospital with heart issues after one of his drug binges and it wasn't enough to scare him. Victoria Principal ended the relationship because she couldn't cope with the drug use. People did try to help him but he shut himself away from people. The show 'Solid Gold' were supportive initially but it was very difficult for them because they had to tape two shows just in case Andy didn't show up to film. He became unreliable and eventually everything dried up.
A friend noticed that he had a lot of letters on the dashboard of his car and he refused to open them, when asked what they were he said they were from his mother. His ex-wife from Australia turned up out of the blue and called him asking him to meet their daughter. At first Andy was unsure of what exactly this woman really wanted and assumed she was looking for money but she claimed that she just wanted him to see their daughter. He finally agreed and he met them, he got on well with his daughter and bought her a bracelet planning to keep in regular contact but sadly it was never to be.
With his music career a no-go, his TV career and relationship gone, Andy Gibb was in a very lonely place as the late 1980s approached, it was a difficult decade for him just trying to keep his head above water as depression and addiction took full hold. In 1988 according to Barry, Robin and Maurice, Andy had been through hell but had gotten clean and was in talks to make a comeback musically, he really wanted to have another shot trying something different this time. Barry was considering having Andy more involved with the Bee Gee's providing that he was 100% clean, in the past Barry had tried to persuade Maurice and Robin about Andy joining the band but there were not comfortable with that idea. This time it did look like Andy was taking some very positive steps and had managed to make one of his dreams comes true, to be able to get a pilot's license to fly a plane. Andy studied and practiced and passed with flying colours (excuse the pun) and his brothers and family were so proud of him and believed that he was really on the road to recovery this time. He was in regular contact with his brothers and celebrated his 30th birthday in London with plans to make a new album. Things were starting to look positive despite the reality that Andy was in a huge amount of debt but plans had been put in place to help manage all of that with the help of his brothers and family. On and off since the late 70s, Andy had heart problems but never told his brothers, only his parents knew and they kept it a secret. The brothers knew that Andy suffered from chronic fatigue and could fall asleep at the drop of a hat but they just put that down to him working so hard and not sleeping properly. Andy kept his health issues to himself for most of his life.
With things looking like they were turning a positive corner with Andy looking better than he had been in a long time, just days after his birthday things took a horrific turn. Andy was experiencing heart issues, the kind that he had endured for years but this time there was crippling stomach pains too. His mother took him to the hospital and he went through various tests, Andy asked his mother ''Could I die from this?''
The situation with the stomach pains that Andy was going through ended up being the very same condition that his brother Maurice would go through many years later. When Maurice fell ill, he was rushed to hospital where the stomach pains were quickly diagnosed, he went though some surgery and his life was saved.
Whilst Andy was at the hospital things just went from bad to worse as the Doctors tried to find out the cause of the chest and stomach pains. Andy didn't reveal to the Doctors about his long history of drug and alcohol abuse so the Doctors were confused trying to figure out what was really going on with an otherwise very healthy looking young man. Andy's health sadly continued to decline and before anyone knew what was happening he just suddenly passed away at the age of just 30. His death was determined to have been caused by Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and other factors which were connected to his history of drug and alcohol abuse. His heart was so very weak and couldn't cope. This condition can be overcome depending on the severity of the inflammation and the individual's lifestyle and overall health. Andy had years of drinking and taking drugs to the extreme to the point that it all took over everything, his life, his career and his relationship. Everyone who knew him was devastated but part of them knew it was always a possibility because of how strong the addictions was. Various attempts at rehab, support etc was given, offered and tried out, nothing helped.
An autopsy was performed on Andy and the coroner found that there was no drugs in his system, he really had been kicking the habit. The reason for his untimely death was due to the weakening of the heart muscle because of previous years of drug use.
I've watched some interviews over the years that the Bee Gees have done and Barry always gets emotional when talking about Andy. Barry (although he wasn't to know what was going to happen) feels guilty about encouraging Andy to have a music career and wished that he had just done what he originally wanted, and that was to become a Doctor.
It's such a shame that such a talented family have had so many heartbreaks and for Barry to see and feel the loss of each of his brothers. Despite the differences, the egos, the career problems and fighting over songwriting, attempts at solo careers and who's going to sing the lead on a certain song etc....at the end of the day, they all loved each other and they all contributed to an incredible legacy which will continue to live on and entertain for generations to come.
I wish things had turned out different for Andy but I cannot imagine what it must have been like for someone who was not only born with quite an age gap from his brothers to those brothers being one of the biggest bands of all time. The pressure that he must have felt and the loneliness, it must've been very difficult.
RIP Andy, Maurice and Robin. Thank you for sharing your incredible talent with us and for all of these musical masterpieces that you created. You will be remembered for all time.
Andy's final resting place is located in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. On his memorial plaque along with his name and date of birth and death, is the inscription 'An Everlasting Love' which was one of his hit songs. The song was performed by Andy and written by Barry.
Further Reading & Sources:
- Arrow Through The Heart: A Biography of Andy Gibb | Book by Matthew Hild
- Bee Gees: Children of The World | Book by Bob Stanley
- Andy Gibb | Documentary | Our History
- Bee Gees | Documentary | Cal Vid Youtube
I hope this post, as sad as it is gave you a bit more of an insight into the career of the life and tragic death of Andy Gibb (if you were not already familiar), the music of Andy and the Bee Gee's will live on forever. I hope you will join me next time for another post. In the meantime I hope to see you on my Socials
Stay safe until next time x
