The Gibb family announced Sunday: "with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery."

The family have also asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time.

The singer, known for his trademark high-pitched vocal on songs such as Massachusetts, had undergone a number of health problems. He had been treated with chemotherapy to treat liver cancer and had undergone intestinal and colon surgery.

Earlier this year the star had been in a coma after contracting pneumonia.

The singer is best remembered for his work with his brothers in the Bee Gees, the soulful harmony group, whose amazingly successful career stretched from the mid-sixties until the present...

The Gibb brothers were born in the Isle of Man but grew up in Manchester, UK and then Brisbane, Australia...

The group were amongst the most successful recording artists of all time, selling hundreds of millions of albums.

As a songwriting team they enjoyed even greater success and were only surpassed in the UK by the Beatles in terms of their hit factory output. Their songs were hugely popular with fellow artists including Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton and many others, who all had huge chart hits with Gibb penned efforts.

Robin Gibb who's songwriting catalogue as part of the Bee Gees includes successes such as Chain Reaction and How Deep Is Your Love, also leaves a strong record of support for charities, especially in his later life...

His most recent recording was The Titanic Requiem album which featured a live premiere in London on April 10. The star regarded the classical pop piece as one of his greatest achievements...

Gibb, a gentle figure who developed a passionate commitment to his chosen charity causes, last performed on stage in February this year aiding injured British service-people at a charity concert at the London Palladium.

In 2011 he re-recorded the Bee Gees hit I've Gotta Get A Message To You, alongside military group The Soldiers, in aid of the Royal British Legion charity's Poppy Appeal.

Gibb had been involved in a number of charity singles over the years, including Grief Never Grows Old in 2005 in aid of the Asian tsunami disaster appeal, and also in 2009 the Comic Relief single Islands in the Stream.

The star was also a patron of the Rock The House charity, a non-profit that supports musicians from across the UK, raising awareness of the importance of intellectual property rights and copyright...

Gibb believed musicians deserve the opportunity to earn a living from their work, music making being such an important contribution to people 's cultural life and the economy.

Gibb was also a regular supporter of various other charities. He was president of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors & Composers (CISAC) plus ambassador for the Diana Award and the Outward Bound Trust.

The Diana Award, founded in 1999 by the Diana Memorial Committee, supports young people who make important contributions to their communities.

Gibb was especially praising of the Outward Bound Trust, an educational charity which he believed helps young people to fulfil their potential...

The charity offers safe, outdoor pursuits experiences to unleash confidence and skills learning...

Speaking of his role as the first ambassador of the charity he said: "As children, my brothers and I constantly challenged each other and drove each other on to new adventures and achievements.

"We discovered music together, teaching ourselves how to play our instruments and write our songs. Without knowing it at the time, we were immersed in the Outward Bound process of discovering our potential."

Gibb said he was enormously impressed by the charity and wanted to increase awareness of its work inspiring youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds to improve their prospects in life...

The star was 62-years-old when he passed away.