Two members of the famous disco group The Bee Gees have passed away.
Colin Petersen, the band’s original drummer, has passed away at the age of 78. Guardian report.
Petersen joined the Bee Gees in 1966, along with brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. He contributed to their second studio album, Thorns and spotsreleased that same year and played on early hits like “To Love Somebody,” “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” and “I Started a Joke.”
Born in Kingaroy, Queensland in 1946, Petersen first gained attention as a child actor, playing the title role in the 1956 Australian film Laugh. He played drums with the Bee Gees until 1969, when tensions with the band’s manager, Robert Stigwood, caused him to leave and form the short-lived band Humpy Bong with singer-songwriter Jonathan Kelly and Tim Staffell.
Petersen was eventually replaced by Geoff Bridgford, but the band soon chose touring drummers instead of full-time members. They eventually chose Dennis Bryon, who played drums during the Bee Gees’ peak years from 1973 to 1980.
In a strange and tragic twist of fate, Bryon is also believed to have died within four days of Petersen. He is 75 years old.
Although not officially listed as a band member, Bryon contributed percussion to several iconic Bee Gees recordings, including the Saturday night fever soundtrack and hits such as “How Deep Is Your Love” and “More Than a Woman”.
Born in Cardiff, Wales, Bryon began playing drums at age 14. In 2015, he released his memoir, Yyou should dance: My Life With the Bee Geesthis reflects the band’s enormous influence in their prime. Bryon recalls an instance when, while driving home to Miami, he switched radio stations and saw that five of them were playing songs from Saturday night fever album.
In later years, both Bryon and Petersen performed with Bee Gees tribute bands. Bryon played with the Italian Bee Gees, a group formed by three Italian brothers, while Petersen participated in the tribute show Best of the Bee Gees. It was reported that Petersen was still performing live as recently as last week.
Currently, Barry is the last surviving member of his brothers. Both Maurice and Robin passed away in 2003 and 2012, respectively.
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