Bee Gees manager Robert Stigwood dies at 81

He also worked with Eric Clapton and briefly with The Who, but was most renowned for taking the Bee Gees to the apex of their careers in 1977, when their distinctive voices and disco instrumentals made up the soundtrack to “Saturday Night Fever”.

Robert Stigwood, who managed the Bee Gees at the peak of their career and produced one of the defining films of the 1970s in “Saturday Night Fever”, has died at the age of 81.

Gibb described Stigwood as a “creative genius with a very quick and dry wit”.

“If you like the Beatles and you like movies, do yourself a favour and stay away”, wrote influential USA film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum.

Robert Stigwood, the former owner of Barton Manor and a supporter of the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, has died.

English lyricist and author Sir Tim Rice, who, with Webber, co-wrote Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, also shared his condolences. “A vital part of my life…Thanks for so much, Robert”.

In 1966, Australian-born Stigwood became The Who’s booking agent and began managing Cream.

According to Billboard, his first music success was as the manager of John Leyton, an up-and-coming musician and actor, whom he propelled to fame with his associate and music producer, Joe Meek.

The song was an instant hit and went on to top the British charts.

By the early 1970s, though, the Bee Gees had fallen out of favour, and Clapton was inactive due to drug addiction. I also loved their harmony singing. “I suppose it was a sound only brothers could make”. Stigwood turned his attention to musicals, producing the movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Who’s rock opera Tommy.

Producer Robert Stigwood is shown on the left, with director Alan Parker, centre, and producer Andrew Vajna, right, after Evita won Best Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards on January 19, 1997.