(01-12) 07:09 EST MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) --

Maurice Gibb, a member of the famed disco band the Bee Gees, died Sunday at a Miami Beach hospital, his family said. He was 53.

Gibb, who joined with his older brother and his twin to harmonize their way to becoming one of the best selling musical groups ever, suffered cardiac arrest before undergoing emergency surgery for a blocked intestine. He was admitted to Mount Sinai Medical Center Wednesday and underwent surgery Thursday.

"To our extended family friends and fans, with great sadness and sorrow we regretfully announce the passing of Maurice Gibb this morning," Gibb's family said in a statement. "His love, enthusiasm and energy for life remain an inspiration to all of us. We will all deeply miss him."

Gibb played bass and keyboard for the group, whose name is short for the Brothers Gibb.

In a 1978 interview with TG Magazine, Gibb lamented the perception that the Bee Gees were only a disco band.

"People accuse us of being nothing more than a disco band now," Gibb said. "But they don't know what they're talking about. If you listen to our records, you'll find that there's dance music. But there are also ballads like `More Than A Woman.' And there are some very beautiful, undanceable songs, too."

The Bee Gees -- twins Maurice and Robin, and their older brother Barry -- have lived in South Florida since the late 1970s. Their younger brother, Andy, who had a successful solo career, died in 1988 at age 30 from a heart ailment.

Chris Hutchins, a writer and former press agent for the Bee Gees, said Maurice was "very much a tormented soul."

"He was not the star (of the Bee Gees), and he knew it, he felt it," Hutchins told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Known for their close harmonies and original sound, the Bee Gees are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and their 1977 contributions to the "Saturday Night Fever" album made it the best selling movie soundtrack ever with more than 40 million copies sold.

Among their disco hits on that album are "Stayin' Alive," "More Than a Woman" and "How Deep Is Your Love," and "Night Fever."

The group won seven Grammy Awards. The Bee Gees last album was in 2001, entitled "This Is Where I Came In."

The family emigrated from England to Australia in 1958, and the brothers soon gained fame as a teen pop group.

They returned to England in the 1960s, and their first four albums contained hits such as "1941 New York Mining Disaster," "To Love Somebody," and their first U.S. number one song, 1971's "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart."

The Bee Gees followed "Saturday Night Fever" with the 1978 album "Spirits Having Flown" which sold 20 million copies.

The brothers wrote and produced songs for Barbara Streisand, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick in the 1980s. They also wrote the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton hit "Islands in the Stream."

The Bee Gees released three studio albums and went on a world tour in the 1990s. The live album from the tour "One Night Only," sold more than 1 million albums in the United States.

The Bee Gees run a music production company in Miami called Middle Ear Studios.

Gibb's first wife was British singer Lulu. He and his second wife, Yvonne, were married for more than 20 years and had two children.

It is a sad day.
There are too many musicians that pass away far too young.
God loves music , and I think we will all be blessed on the day we go home.
But it is always sad to have another musician die at a young age (53) at least he is with his brother now.
Like the song says " They have a hell of a band in heaven"
May God bless his family and friends in this time of need.
jedi

Very upsetting to hear about his passing. I grew up listening to their great music.
He will surly be missed by millions.

Sad

I am deeply saddened today. The Bee Gees were/are a huge part of my musical growth and inspiration. The news of Maurice's passing has touched me deeply. He will be sorely missed...

Angelo

That's really bad news...

Luis Santos

BOOO,
jam on Maurice,
Terry

Source Fox news:
"The bass and keyboard player had been admitted to Mount Sinai Medical Center four days earlier to have emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage. He suffered cardiac arrest before the operation."


[This message has been edited by trtjazz (edited 01-12-2003).]

Ironically, I just learned “How Deep Is Your Love” a week and a half ago. Of course I heard the name Bee Gees somewhere a time or two. I must admit I was down on music in the 70’s that is when I quit in 1975 or so.

Wasn’t that the “psychedelic” time period. I heard “How Deep Is Your Love” a few weeks ago and decided to learn it. I had no idea who recorded it. I just really got interested in music again a couple of years ago.

Now its back to KaZaA to down-load a bunch more Bee Gees stuff. I’m positive there are other tunes by them that I'd want to learn. I like them almost as much as RC.

I used Bee Gees's songs (I think they are mostly compositions of Barry Gibb) to learn uncommon chord progressions. Most of the time I found their chord progressions very interesting. I got lost in some. Ironically enough, one such song was "Never Give up" by Barbara Streisand that I think Barry Gibb composed. That Barbara Streisand's album that sounded very much like Bee Gees (because they were behind it) also had songs with very interesting chord progressions. I think I liked Bee Gees better than any other band or singer.

Shiral


[This message has been edited by shiral (edited 01-14-2003).]