BEE GEES COLLECT CBEs
(May 27, 2004)
On May 27, 2004, Barry and Robin Gibb collected their CBE honours at Buckingham Palace. Maurice's son, Adam, received the award on his father's behalf.
Surviving Bee Gees collect CBEs ( UTV)
The two surviving Bee Gees made a ''bitter sweet'' journey to Buckingham Palace today without their beloved brother Maurice. The famous trio, known for their falsetto voices, were all awarded CBEs, but Maurice died before he could collect his award.
Barry and Robin Gibb were left devastated by his sudden death last year and faced a difficult time in the following months.
In an emotional ceremony, Barry and Robin picked up their honours from the Prince of Wales, alongside nephew Adam who received his late father's award.
Clearly moved by the experience, Barry, 58, said afterwards: ''It's bitter sweet. It would have been wonderful for all three of us to be here.'We have mixed feelings. Knowing Mo, this would have been right up his alley. 'He would have still had his hat on.''
Maurice was known for wearing a black trilby hat at all times. "Nothing could remove that hat," his twin brother Robin added.
Barry, who still sports a full mane of hair, insisted they were no longer the Bee Gees. "We are not the Bee Gees now, in respect for Mo. Maybe the time's just right for a bit of free flight. Maybe at some point we will do something together."
Film student, Adam, 28, looked close to tears after collecting his father's CBE. He said Charles spoke to him about the passing of his father. "He said he hoped this was a little something to remember him by. My mother was supposed to do it but she wouldn't have been able to."
Maurice's widow Yvonne watched in the audience instead.
Palace honour for surviving Bee Gees (ITV)
The musical trio from Manchester have enjoyed one of the longest success stories in the industry.
The two surviving members of the Bee Gees have made an emotional trip to Buckingham Palace to collect their CBEs.
Robin and Barry Gibb received their honours from Prince Charles and their brother Maurice, who died last year, got a posthumous honour which was present to his son Adam.
Later in the Palace quadrangle, Robin said: "This is for Maurice", and as they posed for the cameras Barry said: "This is the greatest day of my life."
Barry added he had joked "don't mess my hair up" as the Prince placed the award around his neck.
Robin said the Prince of Wales discussed their songs with them during the ceremony. "He definitely made reference to our music. He said he thought they (the orchestra) might play some of it."
Maurice's widow Yvonne broke down in tears when asked about the ceremony, saying: "It's very emotional. I was very proud of my son."
Adam paid tribute to the work of the Bee Gees and spoke of how they "never stop".
The group was awarded their honours three years ago but work commitments led to delays in collecting them. Barry also admitted that his fear of flying post September 11 had added to the delay.
Robin was joined by wife Dwina and his daughter Melissa Layla and son Robin John, while Barry was accompanied by wife Linda and daughter Alexandra.
The musical trio from Manchester have enjoyed one of the longest success stories in the industry.
Famed for their falsetto voices, they was responsible for disco classics such as Stayin' Alive and Night Fever.
'Surviving Bee Gees collect CBEs' (BBC)
The musical trio were awarded CBEs three years ago - but work commitments led to delays in collecting them. And Maurice Gibb died last year after a heart attack during emergency surgery in Miami for an intestinal blockage. His twin, Robin, 54, and brother Barry, 58, collected their honours from Prince Charles, alongside nephew Adam, 28, who received his father's award.
Looking close to tears, Adam said his mother, Maurice's widow, Yvonne, was at the ceremony but had been too emotional to collect the award. Charles told him he hoped the honour would be "a little something" to remember his father by, the film student added.
Robin, who was at Maurice's bedside when he died, said the prince had also discussed the band's songs with them during the ceremony.
Barry said the brothers had "mixed feelings" about the ceremony. "It is bitter sweet," he added. "We are not the Bee Gees now. It would have been wonderful for all three of us to be here. "Knowing Mo, this would have been right up his alley."
The Bee Gees were born on the Isle of Man, but moved with their family to Manchester in the 1950s, living in Keppel Road, Chorlton, until the family emigrated to Australia in 1958. The band went on to become the fifth biggest-selling pop act of all time, producing 28 albums and selling 110 million records in a career that spanned four decades.
Brothers Gibb say the Bee Gees are done (Yahoo News (AP))
LONDON - Barry and Robin Gibb, who went to Buckingham Palace to be honored Thursday, said the Bee Gees died with their brother, Maurice.
During an emotional ceremony, Prince Charles made the brothers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE. Maurice's son, Adam, received the award on his father's behalf.
"It's bittersweet. It would have been wonderful for all three of us to be here," Barry Gibb, 57, said afterward. "We have mixed feelings. Knowing Mo, this would have been right up his alley. He would have still had his hat on," a reference to Maurice Gibb's beloved black trilby.
Gibb said the Bee Gees are now a thing of the past. "We are not the Bee Gees now, in respect for Mo," he said. "Maybe the time's just right for a bit of free flight. Maybe at some point we will do something together."
Adam Gibb, a 28-year-old film student, looked close to tears after collecting his father's award.
"My mother was supposed to do it, but she wouldn't have been able to" because of the emotion, he said. Maurice Gibb's widow, Yvonne, watched from the audience.
Born on the Isle of Man, the Gibb brothers moved to Manchester in the 1950s. Their '70s disco hits included "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever."
Maurice Gibb died last year at age 53. He suffered a heart attack before undergoing emergency surgery in Miami for an intestinal blockage.
Royal honors for Bee Gees (CNN)
The two surviving members of the Bee Gees pop group have accepted honors at Buckingham Palace in what they described as a "bittersweet" ceremony.
Barry and Robin Gibb, 58, collected their CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) awards from the Prince of Wales Thursday.
The Bee Gees are famous for writing catchy pop songs such as "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever," as well as their distinctive falsetto voices.
Adam Gibb, 28, collected the honor on behalf of his late father, Maurice.
Clearly touched, Barry said: "It's bittersweet. It would've have been wonderful for all three of us to be here. Knowing Mo, this would have been right up his alley. He would have still had his hat on."
Maurice was known for sporting a black trilby hat at all times. "Nothing would remove that hat," added brother Robin.
Maurice died in a Miami hospital at age 53 in January 2003. He suffered a heart attack during emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage.
Adam said Prince Charles spoke to him about the loss of his father. "He said he hoped this was a little something to remember him by." Adam also noted that his mother was supposed to accept the award, but "she couldn't do it." Yvonne Gibb was in the audience instead.
After the ceremony, Barry said: "We are not the Bee Gees right now, in respect for Mo. "Maybe the time's just right for a bit of free flight. Maybe at some point we will do something together."
