By Tim Saunders on
Bee Gees legend Robin Gibb has passed away, leaving a vast legacy in the worlds of music and charity.
The Bee Gees provided the soundtrack for the lives of many of us. The songs of Robin, Barry and Maurice Gibb etched themselves in our world the way that few bands of the last century have managed.
Robin Gibb will be forever remembered for his unmistakable voice, but his untiring work to make the world a better place was also an extremely important part of his life.
Just last year he let people know what he was up to in a special email to his fans: “I’m still involved in charities and will speak at the Copyright Summit in Brussels this June, and continue to be an ambassador for Outward Bound and the Diana Award. The Heritage Foundation meanwhile have asked to hold their annual garden party at my Oxfordshire home and that event is pencilled in for July 17. I’m thrilled too, that today we will be breaking the ground in Green Park for the Bomber Command Memorial.”
“I’m very proud of the charities I’ve been involved in, particularly my campaign for a permanent memorial for Bomber Command,” he added in an interview on his website. “This is one of the things outside music that I have a real passion for. I met a lot of great people through this campaign and I want to have the memorial erected next year so that those that survive will be around still to see it unveiled.”
Robin was the first ambassador for Outward Bound: "As children, my brothers and I constantly challenged each other and drove each other on to new adventures and achievements. We discovered music together, teaching ourselves how to play our instruments and write our songs. Without knowing it at the time, we were immersed in the Outward Bound process of discovering our potential.
“I have been enormously impressed by the work of The Trust. My intention is to increase the public’s awareness of this work allowing us to reach new supporters and generate the funds for courses, which will inspire thousands of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
Robin was also an ambassador for the Diana Award, named after Princess Diana and honoring young people who inspire others, and was outspoken in his support for the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC). Last year he joined Robbie Williams as a performer at the annual Caudwell Children Butterfly Ball.
In 2010, Robin hosted a special tea for Against Breast Cancer at his home in Oxfordshire, and he was honored by many charities, including receiving the Silver Heart Tribute Award from the Variety Club.
He was also always extremely generous with his music, and appeared at many benefit concerts for organizations such as the Heritage Foundation. He also lent his voice to the star-studded Red Nose Day single for Comic Relief in 2009, and just last year raised money for The Royal British Legion with a version of the Bee Gees classic I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You.
Robin will be forever missed, but his music and the lives he touched through his charity work will ensure that he will never be forgotten.
Copyright © 2012 Look to the Stars
