Bee Gees great Barry Gibb sounds like he’s in trouble health-wise.
Gibb’s son, Stephen, has been posting dire notices on Threads about Barry’s arthritis.
“Things feel like they’re getting out of hand,” Stephen wrote tonight.
In full he says: “Please my dear fans, it breaks my heart to say this but I shared earlier that my dad has not been too well and sadly his arthritis is getting worse and things feel like they’re getting out of hand right now, so I’m humbly asking from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and love for my dad during this very difficult time for our family.”
No jokes about “Staying Alive” but we hope Barry does, and not in pain. The last member of the chart topping group, Barry is 79. He and his brothers Robin and Maurice made history with their endless list of hits first in the Sixties with “I Started a Joke,” “To Love Somebody,” “Words,” “Lonely Days,” and “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”
Then, in the 70s, they came roaring back with the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack including “Staying Alive,” “Nights on Broadway,” “More than a Woman,” “Emotion,” and “How Deep is Your Love.” They also wrote hits like “Grease” for Frankie Valli and “Heartbreaker” for Dionne Warwick and “Islands in the Stream” for Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.
Sadly, both Robin and Maurice each died of cancer much too soon. Their younger brother, Andy, scored his own solo hits but died from substance abuse.
Barry, of course, had a monster solo hit with Barbra Streisand, called “Guilty,” a song he wrote and produced.
Born in the UK, Barry has lived in Miami for decades. Stephen made a surprise tribute to his dad on stage at the real Kennedy Center Honors in Washington DC a couple of years ago. I was so thrilled to meet him at Clive Davis’s Grammy dinner also not too long ago. We don’t know how bad Barry’s situation is, or if a caring son is just freaking out. But everyone must send prayers and good thoughts to Barry Gibb. He’s too important to the soundtrack of our lives.
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