Robin Gibb blames illness on fame

Los Angeles - Robin Gibb blames his cancer battle on his fame and fortune.

The Bee Gees singer - who underwent seven rounds of chemotherapy in 18 months in a bid to beat liver cancer - admitted he sometimes wonders if his family tragedies, including his own ill health and the deaths of his brothers Andy in 1988 and Maurice in 2003, are a "karmic price" for their worldwide success.

He explained to The Sun newspaper: "I sometimes wonder if all the tragedies my family has suffered, like Andy and Maurice dying so young and everything that's happened to me recently, is a kind of karmic price we are paying for all the fame and fortune we've had.

"But we've worked hard for everything we've achieved. I am not and never have been at death's door. But the illness, and the untimely death of my brothers, has made me conscious of the fact that - rather than just think about it - it's crucial that you do today what you want to do.

"I've got a sense of urgency about life, rather than withdrawing from it and feeling depressed.

"Now I know how precious time is, and that you can't put it in the bank. So I intend to make the most of every single second of it that I've got left."

'Never recover from Maurice's death'

Robin - who also has a sister Lesley and brother and fellow Bee Gee member Barry - admitted the death of his twin Maurice, from complications resulting from a twisted intestine, is something he will never recover from.

He said: "Maurice was in hospital for just three days. I flew to Miami to see him and he was in a coma.

"They told Barry and I that, if Maurice didn't have any brain activity within ten minutes, he would die then and there. To our horror, we found out there was none. And Maurice died.

"How did I get over Maurice's death? I didn't. And I never will. I just don't accept it. I tell myself he's away on a long holiday and that we'll be seeing each other again soon."