Surviving Bee Gee Barry Gibb to receive lifetime achievement award

Robin and Barry Gibb hold their CBEs after receiving them from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, London, 27 May, 2004. (Getty Images)

Bee Gees stars Barry Gibb is to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at a major music event next month.

The last surviving Gibb brother will be celebrated at the O2 Silver Clef Awards for a career in which he and his group are estimated to have sold upwards of 220 million albums.

His brother Robin died last year, nine years after his twin Maurice who also made up the chart-topping trio. Their younger brother Andy, also a singer, died in 1988 at the age of 30.

Barry, 66, has also had huge success as a songwriter and producer working on songs for artists such as Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, and Dionne Warwick as well as the title track for the film Grease.

He and the Bee Gees won a special achievement award at the Silver Clefs - which raise money for music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins - in 1993. His new award is officially called the Sony Mobile lifetime achievement award.

Barry said: "I am honoured to be given the prestigious lifetime achievement award at the O2 Silver Clef Awards. Having had music play such an important role in my own life for over 50 years I can truly appreciate the work Nordoff Robbins do, using music to transform other people's lives."

Other awards recipients at the event on June 28 at the London Hilton include Coldplay - who are being awarded the best British act award, Labrinth - who takes the innovation award and trumpeter Alison Balsom, the classical award winner.

PA