b. 5 March 1958, Manchester, England, d. 10 March 1988, Oxford, England. Following the international success of his three elder brothers in the Bee Gees, Andy appeared as a star in his own right in 1977. Emerging at the beginning of the disco boom, he scored three consecutive US number 1 hits with his first three chart entries. ‘I Just Want To Be Your Everything’, ‘(Love Is) Thicker Than Water’ and ‘Shadow Dancing’ made him one of the most commercially successful recording artists of his era and for a time he even eclipsed his illustrious brothers in popularity. Six further hits followed, including a collaboration with Olivia Newton-John (‘I Can’t Help It’) before Gibb moved into television work. The pressure of living with the reputation of his superstar brothers, coupled with immense wealth and a hedonistic bent, brought personal problems and he became alarmingly reliant upon cocaine. Within months of his brothers’ autumnal and highly successful reunion in the late 80s, tragedy struck when the 30-year-old singer died of an inflammatory heart virus at his home. It was the end of a career that had brought spectacular success in a remarkably short period.
