Barry Gibb has revealed a man tried to molest him when he was a child, saying the memory was still “vivid”.
The Bee Gees star told Radio Times he had “never said this before”, adding: “Should I be saying it now?”
He explained: “A man tried to molest me when I was about four-years-old.
“He didn’t touch me, but other things happened and happened to other kids. And eventually they came and arrested him, and woke me up during the night.”
The singer added: “Four years old and a policeman on your bed at four in the morning interviewing you. If that doesn’t teach you about life, nothing does. But it’s vivid for me still. I’ve never told anyone.”
Image source Flickr
Barry Gibb was living with his family in the Isle of Man at the time.
He was speaking ahead of his performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on June 25, 16:00 local time.
Barry Gibb is following in the footsteps of the likes of Johnny Cash, James Brown and Dolly Parton in the legends slot.
In 2016, Barry Gibb joined Coldplay, who were headlining Sunday night, performing renditions of To Love Somebody and Stayin’ Alive.
Barry Gibb yesterday revealed the solace he finds in knowing that his siblings, twins Robin and Maurice, have now been reunited – and that he will join them both one day too.
“They were both beautiful. And now they’re together,” said Barry Gibb, his voice trembling with emotion, as he addressed the congregation at Robin’s funeral.
Barry Gibb, 65, the only remaining member of the group he formed with his younger siblings in 1958 which went on to sell more than 200 million records worldwide, told mourners: “When you’re twins, you’re twins all your life. You go through every emotion.”
Robin Gibb died last month aged 62 after a long battle with colon cancer.
Maurice Gibb died of complications resulting from a twisted intestine in 2003 aged 53.
At yesterday’s service at St Mary’s Church in Thame, Oxfordshire, Barry Gibb spoke of Robin’s “magnificent mind and beautiful heart”.
Barry Gibb also read a poem he had written called Ode To Rob, which included the lines: “We will all be together one day. So fly away Rob, fly away.”
Among the 300-strong congregation were celebrities including Sir Tim Rice, Uri Geller, DJs Mike Read, Paul Gambaccini and David “Kid” Jensen, singer Peter Andre, actress Susan George and 88-year-old actor Leslie Phillips.
Robin Gibb’s widow Dwina, 59, an author and artist, read a poem called My Songbird Has Flown, including the words: “No music can be heard that is sweeter than the language of his love, no diamond is more precious than the memory of his twinkling eyes.”
Dwina and Robin Gibb’s son Robin-John, 28, kissed his father’s white coffin after telling mourners his “best friend and daddy” is “always only a song away”.
Absent from the service, however, was Claire Yang, the former housekeeper with whom Robin Gibb fathered a daughter, Snow, aged four.
Claire Yang was reportedly “unwelcome” and spent the day a few miles away at her home in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
A source said that security guards had been briefed “to keep an eye out for her”.
However, Snow was mentioned by Barry Gibb at the end of his eulogy as “little Snow” in a list of close family members.
At yesterday’s service at St Mary’s Church in Thame, Oxfordshire, Barry Gibb spoke of Robin’s “magnificent mind and beautiful heart”
Barry Gibb also referred to the fourth Gibb brother, Andy, also a singer, who died aged 30 in 1988, saying that to have lost three siblings was “a very strange experience”.
And referring to the Bee Gees’ days of packing out arenas to adoring audiences across the globe, Barry Gibb said: “The three of us have seen a lot of crowds but I’ve never seen so much love in one crowd as I’m looking at today.”
The coffin was taken to the church in a glass-sided, horse-drawn carriage topped with red roses.
The coffin itself was draped with the flag of the Isle of Man, where all three Bee Gees were born.
Robin and Dwina Gibb’s home, a converted 13th century monastery, is opposite the church but the carriage travelled along the market town’s high street first as it was among Robin’s last wishes that he could “say a final goodbye to fans and his home town”.
The cortege was followed by Robin Gibb’s two Irish wolfhounds, Ollie and Missy.
The coffin entered the church to the sound of the Bee Gees’ hit How Deep Is Your Love.
Barry Gibb also spoke of his brother’s sense of humor: “There was no funnier man than Spike Milligan – apart from Robin.
“And his sharp, intuitive wit will live with us forever.
“You could stand Robin next to Spike Milligan and it would be a competition.”
He hinted at recent tensions between himself and Robin, however, saying: “We were laughing all the way. Sometimes crying. God knows how much we argued.
“Even right up to the end we found conflict with each other, which now means nothing. It just means nothing. If there’s conflict in your lives – get rid of it.”
Robin Gibb’s elderly mother, Barbara, left the church just before Barry gave his eulogy.
He told the congregation: “This is a very strange experience, having already lost two brothers and now Rob.
“I think there are an awful lot of things happening right now that maybe you won’t be aware of. And one is how many people came on such a terrible day. It is staggering.
“So many people loved this boy, so many illustrious people are here that loved him. And that is such a pleasure to witness.
“The three of us have seen a lot of crowds but I’ve never seen so much love in one crowd as I’m looking at today – for Rob, you know, for the music. And it’s an intense experience for me.
“I think it’s an experience none of us will forget. We will keep him in our hearts and minds forever.”
Robin Gibb’s family and friends were joined by hundreds of fans, who lined the streets as a glass horse-drawn carriage covered in red roses made its way down the town’s high street on the way to the funeral.
Family members including Robin Gibb’s wife Dwina, his children Spencer, Melissa and RJ, Barry, his wife Linda and his son Stevie, were pictured leading the procession on foot from the gate house of their estate to St Mary’s Church.
It had been Robin Gibb’s wish to “say a final goodbye to fans and his home town of Thame”, according to his family.
Robin Gibb died from kidney failure last month after fighting colon cancer and pneumonia.
Peter Andre, who was a close friend of the musician, was front and centre to place a rose on the coffin at the burial.
He announced last week that he plans to release a tribute single using music written for him by Robin Gibb shortly before his death.
“He very kindly wrote a song for me recently and I’m determined to finish working on it when I get back to the UK,” he said.
“I’m going to release it and make sure all the proceeds go to his favorite charity.”
St Mary’s church is opposite the home which the musician had shared with wife Dwina for 19 years.
Two candles flickered at the front of the church as some guests entered in tears, to take their places on wooden seats surrounded by pink and white flowers.
They were issued with an order of service printed with a black and white picture of Robin Gibb on the front cover, and images of red roses throughout.
An image of the three members of the Bee Gees – Robin, Maurice and Barry – was on the back.
Robin Gibb was the gaunt Bee Gee, the one with the tombstone teeth and extraordinary voice, a high, plaintive tenor.
But Robin Gibb’s voice and song-writing abilities, allied with the musical talents of his twin Maurice and older brother Barry, were to sell more than 220 million Bee Gees records in a career that was to last for nearly half a century.
As a song-writing partnership, the Gibb brothers were prolific, second only to John Lennon and Paul McCartney in their success. Not only did they write numerous hits for themselves, they also created hits for many other artists.
Even though after the death of Maurice, Robin Gibb never recorded again as a Bee Gee with Barry, he didn’t stop writing and recording.
A complex, often contradictory character, one of his passions was to highlight Britain’s debt to the country’s troops. Last year, he recorded a charity version of Gotta Get A Message To You with soldiers for the Poppy Appeal. Robin Gibb was also a major supporter and fund-raiser for the Bomber Command Memorial being built in London’s Green Park.
Barry Gibb would always be perceived as the leader, but the strength of the Bee Gees’ partnership lay in their musical equality. The three brothers complemented each other perfectly.
The Bee Gees in 1975
Yet their father, the leader of a small seaside hotel band, didn’t immediately spot the boys’ talents.
Barry Gibb once said: “One day, our parents heard us singing in harmony. They thought the sound must be coming from the radio.”
Robin Gibb explained: “Neither of our parents were aware we could harmonize instinctively. The only thing my brothers and I cared about was composing. We didn’t have any friends or many interests except music.
“In a way we were like the Brontes, complete in ourselves. We didn’t need outsiders. Composing made us happy. We loved it. It was never about money; it was about being recognized and liked.”
Robin and Maurice Gibb were just eight when they made their first public appearance at a children’s competition at the Gaumont Cinema in Manchester in 1957.
They’d planned to mime to an Everly Brothers record, but having dropped and broken it on their way to the cinema, they decided to sing live.
The output of original Gibbs’ songs was prodigious and astonishingly mature. Always highly sensitive, fastidious and reclusive, some of the subjects Robin Gibb chose to write about were very dark for a teenager.
Gotta Get A Message To You was inspired by a news story about a man about to be executed in the U.S. for murdering his wife’s lover.
The Bee Gees’ first British No 1, Massachusetts, was written on their first visit to New York.
“Ninety per cent of it is mental telepathy,” Robin Gibb explained.
“I’d had this line <<The lights all went out in Massachusetts>> in my head all day, and I mentioned it to Barry.
“He said <<I’ve already got the tune for it>> – so we wrote it that night. Maurice did the arrangement.”
The magic really struck in 1977. They were recording in Florida with U.S. producer Arif Mardin and had just come up with Jive Talkin’, an anthem for the disco craze, when their manager Robert Stigwood decided to produce the film Saturday Night Fever.
Within a few weeks, the brothers had recorded five classics – How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever, If I Can’t Have You and More Than A Woman. It became one of the most popular movie soundtracks of all time.
The result was the reinvented Bee Gees of legend: the Florida tanned boys with the big hair, dazzling white teeth and suits, and Barry Gibb’s new, breathy falsetto.
In what were jokingly called the “helium years”, their success couldn’t have been greater.
Robin Gibb was an unusual pop star. He was more serious than his brothers and could be withdrawn. But as TV appearances in the last few years showed, he was political (a supporter of the Labour Party), intelligent, articulate and an enthusiastic charity fund-raiser.
Always his own man, the many songs he and his brothers created will outlive him by generations.
Robin Gibb apparently showed signs that he might pull through his coma Thursday night.
Robin Gibb, 62, who fell into unconsciousness last week reportedly responded to his elder brother Barry’s voice.
Barry Gibb, 65, sang to Robin by his bedside and a source close to the family said this prompted “flickers of life”.
Speaking to The Sun, the source said: “There were flickers of life from Robin. His eyes moved and there was an attempt at speech.
“It was a good sign he is fighting hard for his life but he is certainly not out of the woods yet.”
“The family have to remain very cautious,” the source added.
Barry Gibb sang to Robin by his bedside and a source close to the family said this prompted “flickers of life”
Barry Gibb jetted into the UK from Tennessee to join other members of the family, following Robin’s re-admission to hospital.
Robin Gibb is now battling pneumonia, following months of health troubles, after being diagnosed with colon cancer after surgery for a blocked bowel in 2010.
In a recent interview, Robin Gibb’s wife Dwina said: “Barry was singing to him. Thousands of people are saying prayers every day.”
Last week, Dwina Gibb was spotted leaving the private hospital in Chelsea where her husband is fighting for his life.
Dwin Gibb’s been saying prayers at his bedside since he was admitted to hospital but she was pictured showing the strain of the past few days.
As she took a break from her vigil, the pained expression on her face spoke volumes.
According to new reports, Bee Gees star Robin Gibb is lying in a coma and doctors fear he only has days to live.
Robin Gibb’s family was keeping a bedside vigil, praying for the 62-year-old’s survival.
The Bee Gees star appeared to have made a recovery from liver and colon cancer this year, but doctors believe a second tumor may be present, reported The Sun.
He has also developed pneumonia.
Robin Gibb’s wife, Dwina, brother Barry, 65, daughter Melissa, 37, and sons Spencer, 39, and Robin-John, 29, were at his bedside at a private hospital in Chelsea, West London.
A family friend told The Sun: “Our prayers are with Robin. He has kept so positive and always believed he could beat this.
“Sadly, it looks like he has developed pneumonia, which is very bad in his situation.
“If there is anyone you would put money on pulling through such a dire situation, it would be Robin because he is a fighter. But this is a battle he will struggle to win.”
Bee Gee star Robin Gibb is lying in a coma and doctors fear he only has days to live
Robin Gibb revealed his battle with cancer in October 2010.
He had emergency surgery to treat a blocked bowel, before a further operation to treat a twisted bowel. Colon cancer was then discovered and it spread to his liver.
Robin Gibb’s twin brother Maurice died of complications resulting from a twisted intestine in 2003, aged 53.
Robin Gibb famously appeared on the Alan Titchmarsh Show looking pale and gaunt and has cancelled a handful of appearance over the past two years because of his health.
Barry Gibb earlier this week jetted into the UK from Tennessee in the U.S. to join other members of the family.
His brother’s arrival this week comes after his nephew – Robin Gibb’s son – RJ described the overwhelming moment the family learned that the Bee Gees star was in remission from cancer.
RJ, 29, full name Robin-John, revealed that he was sitting next to his famous father in his hospital bed when the doctor told them the happy news.
“I leant over the bed and I kissed him on the forehead and just said, <<I love you>>,” RJ told the Mirror.
“Then we sat together for ages, just taking it all in and being together without saying anything.
“It was the best news we could have hoped for. It was the most beautiful feeling and instantly life was so much better.”
However, this isn’t the first time that Robin Gibb’s family and fans have been left worried as the singer also re-entered hospital back in February.
Robin Gibb was admitted into a London clinic as part of his treatment and rehabilitation.
At the time a family source told The Sun: “We feared the worst. But doctors have said they are astounded at his response to treatment.”
But it was only a matter of weeks before this that Robin Gibb insisted he had made a “spectacular” recovery.
Robin Gibb, left, and his late twin brother Maurice, right, and older brother Barry
Speaking to BBC Radio 2 host Steve Wright, the artist revealed that he felt better than he had done for a decade.
“The prognosis is that it’s almost gone and I feel fantastic and really from now on it’s just what they could describe as a <<mopping-up>> operation,” he said.
“I am very active and my sense of well-being is good.”
Robin Gibb also suggested that reports about his health had been conjecture, adding: “I mean the fact is, I’ve never spoken to anybody about my condition or the condition that I was in and a lot of them go over the top to the point where they’re telling me things that I didn’t even know about myself.”
And despite being admitted to hospital last week for further intestinal surgery, the singer had been given the all clear.
A statement released on the singer’s behalf said: “On Sunday 25 March, Robin Gibb underwent further intestinal surgery.
“He is currently recovering in hospital and therefore, for the time being, all existing commitments prior to the Titanic Requiem concert, have had to be cancelled.”
Robin Gibb and RJ had composed the music for the Royal Philharmonic performance at Westminster Central Hall next week.
In February he had talked about feeling “fantastic” following his treatment and said he had begun to put on weight after looking increasingly gaunt.
At first his illness was thought to have been due to the hereditary intestinal condition which led to the death of his twin brother.
Speaking about his cancer, last month he said: “The prognosis is that it’s almost gone and I feel fantastic and really from now on it’s just what they could describe as a <<mopping-up>> operation.”
In an interview earlier this month, Robin Gibb pondered whether his illness is “karma” for the fame and fortune he has enjoyed.
“I sometimes wonder if all the tragedies my family has suffered, like Andy and Maurice dying so young and everything that’s happened to me recently, is a kind of karmic price we are paying for all the fame and fortune we’ve had.
“But we’ve worked hard for everything we’ve achieved.”
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