With the passing of Robin, the second of the Brothers Gibb to leave us too soon, I'm taking a look back at the career of the Bee Gees. Or rather, careers: even if you were one of those people who never forgave them for making disco a national phenomenon -- and let's face it, there are still plenty of you out there -- you'd have to admit that by that time, they'd already enjoyed a stellar career as Australia's answer to the Beatles, a group equally adept at blue-eyed soul, chamber pop, and psychedelia. The fact that they went on to another career as one of the top-selling acts of all time just proves their boundless talent. If you love the group's work in any era, you'll want to check out this look at the music, life, and career of the Bee Gees.

Robin Gibb, one-third of the phenomenally popular Australian group The Bee Gees, has passed away in a central London hospital due to complications from his ongoing fight with colon and liver cancer.

Along with brother Maurice, Robin was one-half of a pair of twins in the three Brothers Gibb (hence the name "Bee Gees"), and the first to leave the group behind, attempting an abortive solo career in 1970 but returning the following year. The group, known for their close-knit harmonies, were considered Australia's answer to the British Invasion with their long string of late-60s and early-70s ballads, usually sung by Robin in tandem with leader Barry: "To Love Somebody," "Words," "Lonely Days," and "I Started a Joke," Robin's best-known solo vocal.

When their career began to founder, they engineered a remarkable comeback, turning to danceable R&B in the mid-70s and becoming one of the biggest musical groups in the world when the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack exploded in 1978. Anchored by several Bee Gees songs, including "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever," and "How Deep Is Your Love," it made them the biggest of superstars, but also created a disco backlash from which their career never quite recovered.

The three brothers soldiered on, weathering the death of younger brother (and '70s teen heartthrob) Andy Gibb and, in 2003, Maurice's untimely death from what his brothers later alleged was botched intestinal surgery. In 2010 Robin was discovered to have the same congenital disorder as Maurice, but while his operation and treatment for a twisted intestine were successful, doctors discovered cancer in his colon.

Robin slipped into a pneumonia-related coma as a result but made a spectacular recovery just a week later, soon appearing back in public for the premiere of his last work, a classical piece written with his son Robin-John, entitled The Titanic Requiem. Sadly, he slipped back into the coma in April and never recovered. Robin, who is survived by six children from three different mothers, was 62. Please leave your thoughts and condolences for Robin Gibb here.

The late great Donna Summer, who passed away yesterday after a private struggle with lung cancer, started out as a novelty musician of sorts, turning the "orgasm record" electronic and bringing it to the dance floor. However, she soon grew to not only rule the disco boom of the '70s but also to embody its ambitions, doing as much as anyone to define the genre's sexiness, romanticism, and glamour. Check out my profile of the greatest dance diva of all time.