Last Bee Gee’s emotional funeral tribute

The 62-year-old singer died from kidney failure last month after fighting cancer and pneumonia and suffering from a serious bowel condition.

Barry, the sole surviving member of the Bee Gees trio, had a trembling voice as he told the congregation at St Mary’s Church in Thame, Oxfordshire: “Life is too short. In Robin’s case, absolutely too short.

“We should have had 20 years, 30 years of his magnificent mind and his beautiful heart.”

Referring to the late Maurice Gibb, he added: “They were both beautiful. And now they’re together. They’re actually together.”

Maurice died in 2003.

Barry Gibb said: “When you’re twins, you’re twins all your life. You go through every emotion.

“And they’re finally together. I think the greatest pain for Robin in the past 10 years was losing his twin brother, and I think it did all kinds of things to him.

“And now they’re together.”

Gibb’s elderly mother, Barbara, left the church just before Barry – the last of the four Gibb brothers – gave his eulogy.

He told the congregation: “This is a very strange experience, having already lost two brothers and now Rob.

“I think there are an awful lot of things happening right now that maybe you won’t be aware of. And one is how many people came on such a terrible day. It is staggering.

“So many people loved this boy, so many illustrious people are here that loved him. And that is such a pleasure to witness.”

Mourners wept as Robin’s ornate white coffin entered the church to the sound of the Bee Gees’ hit How Deep Is Your Love.

Barry Gibb and the vicar leading the service, the Rev Alan Garratt, walked up the aisle ahead of it as a round of spontaneous applause broke out outside.

Close relatives, including Robin’s widow, Dwina, and his mother followed behind. One woman was so overcome with grief she had to be physically supported as she walked to her seat.