Maurice Ernest Gibb - 1949

On March 4th, there will be a special dedication of the Maurice Gibb Memorial Park in Miami Beach, Florida. Some may know the location of the park (18th street & purdy). The dedication is at 4pm (eastern). More information as it becomes available. OSO.com hopes to bring you personal information as we, the webmaster and owner, plan to be there, along with a friend.

The biggest project Robin is undertaking is a televised tribute concert for Maurice. Along with Maurice’s family, the Maurice Gibb Foundation and CG Management, comprised of long-time manager Ken Graydon, who continues to represent Robin in the UK and Europe, and well established British manager and publisher John Campbell, who has re-located to Los Angeles to set up an American operation and to represent Robin in the U.S., other international territories, Robin is preparing what promises to be the consummate star-studded, talent packed musical special event, a tribute to Maurice.

It will take place in the United States in Spring ’05, and be broadcast on a U.S. television network and worldwide. Babyface will be the music director of the show, which is sure to be a major musical event of 2005, attracting enormous worldwide interest. It’s worth noting, friends of the top selling trio are all coming out to remember Maurice. Stars such as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Tom Jones, Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys are among the celebrities approached for this project so far. John Travolta has been approached to host the event. Charity foundation EIF is in talks to become seriously involved in the project.

“Maurice loved life,” said Robin, “And we want to celebrate his life and talent the best way we know how – through music.”

The proud son of Bee Gee Maurice Gibb picked up his late dad's CBE alongside his singing uncles at Buckingham Palace on May 27th, 2004.

The legendary group had been unable to collect their honours before Maurice died last year at the age of 53.

But yesterday Adam, took his father's place alongside Maurice's twin Robin and elder brother Barry, to receive his award from Prince Charles.

Film student Adam's mum, Yvonne, had been due to collect Maurice's award but feared the occasion would be too emotional and instead opted to sit in the audience at the palace instead.

Barry and Robin both said receiving the awards for a chart-topping career dating back to the 1960s was 'bitter-sweet'.

Clearly moved, Barry said afterwards: 'It would have been wonderful for all three of us to be here. We have mixed feelings. Knowing Mo, this would have been right up his alley. He would have still had his hat on.'

Maurice was known for wearing a black trilby hat at all times.

'Nothing could remove that hat,' Robin added.

Barry said he and Robin were no longer working as the Bee Gees following the death of their brother.

He said: 'We are not the Bee Gees now, in respect for Mo. Maybe the time's just right for a bit of free flight. Maybe at some point we will do something together.'

Adam looked close to tears and revealed that Prince Charles had spoken to him about his father's death.

He said: 'The prince said he hoped this was a little something to remember him by.

'My mother was supposed to do it but she wouldn't have been able to.'

Barry and Robin, after having received their honorary doctorates in Music from the Manchester University, returned to Chorlton-cum-Hardy, the Manchester suburb where they grew up, and honored their brother by opening a school recording studio and naming it after him. Pupils at Oakwood High sang a selection of various Bee Gees for the brothers.

The family is close to reaching an out-of-court settlement with the hospital they blame for his sudden death which could run into millions of pounds.

Lawyers for Yvonne and those acting for Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami are understood to be close to agreeing a deal which will meet her wish to avoid the circumstances surrounding the star’s death being dragged through the American courts.

This comes despite claims that the brothers and fellow band members were keen to sue the high-profile hospital for negligence rather than reach a settlement.

However, a friend of the family told "Scotland on Sunday" (newspaper) that Yvonne has resisted such moves, because it would be "so American" to sue.

Following Maurice’s death, the brothers have said they wanted to see justice done.

Speaking about the loss of his twin brother in an earlier interview, Robin said: "There is a tremendous amount of anger and the hospital is not off the hook. The lawyers are looking into it - they have been since the day it happened, because his death was totally preventable."

Following his death, the brothers consulted lawyers with a view to taking action against the hospital, arguing that doctors did not detect that he had a twisted bowel. Maurice had been admitted to the eighth floor, which is reserved for VIPs, but the hospital’s emergency equipment was three floors below.

Robin had claimed that it took more than 10 minutes to retrieve the equipment to restart his brother’s heart, by which time he had suffered massive brain damage.

A family friend said that specialist medical malpractice lawyers had been involved in the talks and that Mount Sinai Hospital "knew that things had gone wrong" and that it was "pretty much cut and dried that Maurice should still be with us today". He added: "I understand the hospital and Yvonne’s lawyers are talking with a view to a settlement without court action and that the hospital are tilting towards accepting liability."

He added that Yvonne and her New York-based lawyer, Arnold Gicoma, had kept the proceedings very private. "It’s being settled behind closed doors," he added.

A close friend of the family in England said he understood the two brothers had been very keen to sue the hospital and had consulted lawyers about taking legal action.

The source said: "The brothers, especially Barry, were very keen to sue the hospital. They were understandably very angry about Maurice’s death and wanted to see some justice.

"However, Yvonne is adamant that she does not want to sue. She says it’s ‘so American to sue’, so instead she is negotiating a settlement with the hospital.

"Barry and Robin are obviously having to respect her wishes but it’s not what they really wanted. Obviously they are going along with her now."

He added: "In America these sorts of cases could cost the hospital millions. It’s a shame really because it’s not a big hospital and this sort of payout would really hit them hard."

The hospital said it would not comment on any private settlement. A spokeswoman said: "I am not privy to that information. When lawyers are talking and something private is happening then I wouldn’t know about it and they certainly wouldn’t comment on it."

Robin’s personal assistant, Ken Graydon, confirmed that the matter was being looked into by US lawyers. "Yvonne’s lawyer Gicoma is dealing with that," he said. "It’s not something that I’m involved in at all."

His press agent from PR company Quite Great also said the matter was being dealt with in America. "It’s not something that we’re involved in," she said.

US lawyer Gicoma would not comment on the proceedings.

Legal settlements involving the death of Americans in hospital can typically run into millions of dollars. Last year the parents of a student who died after doctors removed his spleen received $4.5m after lawyers alleged the hospital failed to discover post-operative bleeding.

In 2000 a Chicago man agreed a $7m settlement after his wife died of cervical cancer following a misread smear test.

Speculating on a possible settlement fee, lawyer Cameron Fyfe, of the Glasgow-based law firm Ross Harper, said it could run into millions.

"It’s not a sum you would see over here, but in America, when calculating a figure for such a loss, you look at what is called ‘loss of society’.

"That means loss of companionship, and for some reason in Scotland that is valued at only about £10,000 to £20,000 but in America that sum would be much, much higher."

He also said in the US they calculated "punitive damages", which is the loss of potential earnings from the person concerned. He said there were many benefits to settling out of court. "You don’t have to go through the trauma of giving evidence and you don’t risk losing substantial legal fees."

On December 30th, Robin was interviewed on BBC 5 Live and he confirmed he, Barry and Yvonne (on behalf of Maurice) will be getting their CBEs next May. Robin also said he will join Barry in Miami in a month to discuss their future plans.

It has finally happened. The Island View Park, located a minute's walk from Middle Ear Studios in Miami Beach has been renamed the Maurice Gibb Memorial Park. The question was placed on the ballot to be voted on, on November 4th, 2003. The vote passed with over 60% voting Yes. The future of the Maurice Gibb Pavilion (gazebo) is unknown. It was to be located immediately behind where the Island View Park sign is currently posted. The construction and design costs will be the responsibility of the Gibb Family.

*Miami Beach Question 8:* Rename Island View Park?	Yes	3799	61.8%
*Miami Beach Question 8:* Rename Island View Park?	No	2353	38.2%

The will of Bee Gees member Maurice Gibb leaves his widow more than $2 million, their six homes and all ownership in copyrights and musical compositions.

Gibb's last will and testament, drawn up 12 years ago and filed in Miami-Dade County court, also asks that trust funds be set up for his two grown children, Adam, 27, and daughter Samantha, 22, of Miami Beach.

"We're in the process of administering the will," said Rose La Femina, the local attorney who represents Yvonne Gibb. She declined to discuss specifics.

The couple, married for nearly 30 years, owned two homes in England, two in Miami Beach, one in Spain and one in the Bahamas. Most are now up for sale.

Gibb, 53, a longtime Miami Beach resident, died Jan. 12 after emergency surgery for a blocked intestine at the Miami Beach hospital.

The surviving Gibb brothers, Barry and Robin, have not yet followed through on a threat of legal action against Mount Sinai Medical Center on Miami Beach, where their brother died.

Both brothers have said that mistakes were made at the hospital.

"I believe the doctor completely screwed things up," Robin Gibb, Maurice's twin, told the Daily Mail in London on Aug. 9. "There is a tremendous amount of anger and the hospital is not off the hook. The lawyers are looking into it - they have been since the day it happened, because his death was totally preventable."

Arnold Gitomer, the New York attorney who is representing the family, did not return a phone message Monday. A spokesman for Mount Sinai declined to comment on any aspect of the Gibb case, citing patient's privacy concerns.

Maurice Gibb died after a portion of his small intestine became twisted back on itself, shutting off its blood supply and flooding his system with toxins, according to an autopsy by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office. Gibb's intestinal problem was congenital, the autopsy report said.

Since their brother's death, Barry and Robin Gibb have made little use of their Miami Beach studio and have decided to rent it out to other artists.

The trio had performed together for more than 40 years. Later this year, the two surviving brothers will begin writing the first Bee Gees album without Maurice.

"In the beginning, Barry and I couldn't decide if we were going to go forward with the name of the Bee Gees or just as Barry and Robin," Robin told the British newspaper. "Now we've decided to continue as the Bee Gees because we feel we can and Maurice would have wanted it."

MIAMI BEACH
Gibb park memorial to be put on ballot
Singer meditated at Island View
BY RICHARD BRAND
rbrand@herald.com

Miami Beach officials are trying to rename Island View Park in South Beach after Maurice Gibb, the longtime Beach resident and Bee Gees singer who died Jan. 12.

Commissioners voted July 2 to put the name change on the November elections ballot. According to city laws, name changes to public parks must be approved in a referendum.

The small park, nestled between Biscayne Bay and Purdy Avenue just east of the Venetian Causeway, was a frequent meditation spot for the late singer, who would take breaks there between sets at his Middle Ear recording studio at 1801 Bay Rd.

''He used to go there almost every day at lunchtime to feed the seagulls,'' said Bob Koske, a Gibb-family friend who has pushed for the memorial. ``He would sit there, look at the water. Like anybody [who] has a little meditation spot.''

As the Bee Gees, Maurice Gibb, 53, and brothers Barry and his twin Robin were responsible for such hits as Jive Talkin', Stayin' Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Tragedy, Words and Lonely Days.

Commissioner Luis Garcia, Jr., described Gibb as outgoing and approachable. He remembered meeting Gibb as a firefighter in 1976, when the pop star asked to ride along with his company.

''He was a fire-rescue buff,'' Garcia said. ``He spent a whole day riding with me and my partner. I really liked the man. He was very down-to-earth.''

Garcia added that renaming the park would be a fitting tribute. ``The Bee Gees chose Miami Beach to be their home town. They could have lived anywhere in the world.''

Beach officials also hope to place a gazebo or bench in the park to honor Gibb, but that plan has met with some resistance from neighbors worried that it would attract homeless people. Koske and neighbors said they plan to meet to design a memorial that both sides could be happy with.

''All we want is a memorial,'' Koske said. ``Something simple. Maurice was a simple man. Nothing grand.''

Dear Omega Man in the Middle
You Know it's for you that we morn.

Suddenly, Overnight, I find myself, All By Myself.
Such A Shame.
Where are you?

It's Just The Way that you went,
Like a Wildflower which has faded too fast.

Now, you are Walking On Air in other Dimensions.

We will miss you.

(c) Steve Barry, January 12th 2003