“It was as if he was here yesterday,” says widow of legendary Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb as it reaches the 10th anniversary of his death.
Mr Gibb, who died on May 20, 2012, was best known for being in the award-winning pop group with his brothers Barry and Maurice.
The trio gained worldwide fame with hits such as Stayin Alivin’, Night Fever, How Deep Is Your Love, More Than a Woman, and more.
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He lived in Thame with his partner Dwina Gibb, an author and artist, and their son RJ until his death. He is buried at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.
As it reaches the 10th anniversary, Mrs Gibb recalls how much the songwriter loved their historic home and Oxfordshire.
“Thames was Robin’s favourite place as he loved the history,” she said. “He always wanted to live in an historic house.
“Our home, Prebendal, used to be the residence of the Bishop of Lincoln’s prebendary and Robin quite liked the idea of hundreds of years of pray that took place here.”
Mrs Gibb said there are so many memories connected with the home including their son writing The Titanic Requiem with Mr Gibb, which was recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking.
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She added: “I also remember there once was a hot air balloon that came down into our garden by mistake and Robin went to help the people out the basket and it was the woman’s birthday and she thought it was deliberate.
“Time has flown by I can’t believe it. We miss his humour, his love, his music - we miss everything.
“He was always playing music. Sometimes I would hear him in the middle of the night playing and singing - his beautiful voice singing.
“He just had a crazy ear for music. He said sometimes even listening to the church bells over the road would bring a harmony to him.”
To commemorate the anniversary, Mrs Gibb, in partnership with Thame Museum, is holding an exhibition with photographs and memorabilia from Saturday, May 21 throughout the summer.
“I thought it would be really nice to share things,” said Mrs Gibb. “The museum has Robin’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle which he got for his birthday one year and loved.
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“I also gave them a cardigan which he wore in the winter and loved to death. It’s so much easier 10 years later. It doesn’t get easier that he’s not here but it’s easier, I can deal with it now.”
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This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.
Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland
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