LONDON (AP) — A private funeral service for Bee Gees star Robin Gibb will take place next week with a public memorial service planned for later in the year, his family said Wednesday.
Gibb, one of the founder members of the famed singing trio — known for their soaring harmonies, died May 20 at the age of 62 after a long battle with cancer.
In a statement issued on behalf of Gibb's family, his relatives confirmed that a service would take place on June 8, though no details about the location have been disclosed.
"The funeral will be a private service for close family and friends," they said in the statement.
Gibb's death brought tributes to his talents from all sectors of British society. Ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair, a friend, said he was "an exceptional and extraordinary musician," while former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr hailed the singer's distinctive voice.
The family had previously lost Gibb's brother Andy Gibb, a solo singer, in 1988 from a heart ailment and Maurice Gibb, a member of the Bee Gees and Robin's twin, in 2003 from acute intestinal problems.
Of four brothers, only Barry Gibb — also a member of the Bee Gees — survives.
The family requested in their statement that mourners at Gibb's funeral offer donations, rather than flowers, to two children's charities on the Isle of Man, off the coast of northwest England, where he was born.
