Breaking: Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb dies

Credit: Mario Vedder/dapd

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Robin Gibb, co-founder of British pop group the Bee Gees, has died at the age of 62 after a lengthy battle with liver and colon cancer.

"The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," said the Gibb family in a statement.

Born on the Isle of Man on December 22, 1949, Gibb and his brothers Barry and Maurice (a fraternal twin) formed the Brothers Gibb in 1958, following a move with their parents to Queensland, Australia. Soon after their return to England in 1966, the trio were signed to a five-year contract by Polydor Records and achieved their breakthrough success with "Bee Gees 1st," a Beatles-esque effort that was the group's first album to be released to an international audience.

The group's sound evolved over the years as they began writing their own material - ranging from psychedelic rock to pop to funk to white soul - but the height of their fame came during the disco era, when their massively-popular contributions to the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack rocketed them to superstardom and succeeded in helping to popularize the disco sound with mainstream audiences.

The group's career record sales now stand in excess of 220 million units worldwide, making them one of the best-selling musical acts of all time. They were also the recipients of nine Grammy Awards, and in 1997 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Older brother Barry is the only surviving original member of the group; Maurice Gibb passed away in 2003.

Any Bee Gees fans care to weigh in with an appreciation?