For lovers of early Bee Gees tracks, especially the gem I Started a jokeColin Petersen’s death is filled with sadness. The first drummer of Bee Gees has passed away at the age of 78, his current band Best of The Bee Gees, – a group that performs in tribute to the historic pop group – announced in a Facebook post shared on Tuesday, November 19.

“ It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our dear friend Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen. He enriched our lives and united our group with love, care and respect. We don’t know how we can go on without his radiant smile and deep friendship. We love you, Col, rest in peace. “wrote the members of Best of The Bee Gees on the social network. This latest nostalgic group, formed in 1998 and made up of Greg Wain, Russell Davey and Evan Webster, was inspired by Maurice, Robin and Barry Gibb, the musical siblings who set pop and disco on fire in the 60s and 70s. Colin Petersen, nicknamed “ Smiley “joined them to bring back the heartbeat of the tours of the last five years.

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Colin Petersen began his career as an actor. He appeared in Smiley (1956), The Scamp (1957), A Cry from the Streets ( 1958), recall Deadline . The Australian artist, born on March 24 1946, went on to become a musician, joining the Bee Gees in 1966, eight years after their formation. He was the first official member not to bear the surname Gibb, the group being made up of three brothers: Barry, Robin and Maurice. The Bee Gees also welcomed guitarist Vince Melouney around the same period. Colin Petersen worked on several albums with the Australian-British pop group: Spicks and Specks, Bee Gees’ 1st, Horizontal, Idea, Odessa and Cucumber Castle. He also worked on hit songs such as I started a Joke, To Love Somebody or Words. Colin Petersen eventually left the band in 1970, after an argument with band manager Robert Stigwood. He was replaced by drummer Dennis Bryon, who died on November 14.

Colin Petersen then joined the band Humpy Bong for a few months before it split up. Colin Petersen then retired from the music business for a while, setting up a management company with his wife Joanne Newfield, with whom he shares two children Jaime and Ben. In recent years, he occasionally took to the stage with the Best of The Bee Gees. Today, they have lost a father and an artist totally dedicated to his art.