To the world, Robin Gibb was the quiet soul of the Bee Gees — the gentle twin with the trembling, haunting voice behind timeless classics like Massachusetts and I Started a Joke. But behind the spotlight, a far darker story was unfolding.
By the age of 17, Robin had already fallen deep into substance abuse, relying on powerful amphetamines that kept him awake for days at a time. As the years went on, his personal life spiraled further out of control. By his thirties, he was entangled in countless affairs, consumed by obsessive behaviors, and exhibiting erratic tendencies that even those closest to him found deeply unsettling.
In 1981, the chaos reached a breaking point. Robin’s marriage collapsed, and soon after, he found himself under FBI investigation for a series of chilling death threats sent to his ex-wife and her attorneys. One of the messages read ominously:
“I have taken out a contract. It is now a question of time.”
The authorities treated the threats as serious, but ultimately, no charges were ever filed.
This was a side of Robin Gibb the public never saw — a stark contrast to the tender, fragile voice they adored.
On stage, Robin’s vocals were ethereal and filled with emotion, hailed by critics as among the greatest white soul voices in music history. Off stage, he was restless, paranoid, and consumed by addictions he couldn’t escape. Friends recalled late-night phone calls where Robin demanded they find women for him immediately, while staff whispered about disturbing scenes inside his mansion — including mysterious handprints smeared high on the walls, nearly eight feet above the ground.
His destructive habits devastated his family life, leading to years of estrangement from his children and nearly tearing the Bee Gees apart.
Yet, through all the turmoil, the music never stopped. Even at his lowest moments, Robin continued to write and sing. He once described his songs as “children” — creations to be nurtured and protected because, as he put it,
“They never betray you.”
When Robin passed away in 2012 after a long battle with illness, he made one final request: that How Deep Is Your Love be played at his funeral. It was a fitting choice — the same song that had once revitalized the Bee Gees’ legacy and, for Robin, a final message to the world.
Robin Gibb’s life was turbulent, marked by scandal, heartbreak, and inner demons. But when he stepped to the microphone, all the chaos faded away. What remained was a voice — fragile yet eternal — that continues to echo through time, carrying with it the truest reflection of who he was.
