Bee Gees Member Passes Away At 78

Colin Petersen, the Bee Gees’ original drummer whose percussion provided the iconic beats that gave rise to the 1970s’ dance era, died at 78, the New York Post reports.

Peterson, who went by the nickname “Smiley,” was reported to have passed away in a statement released by the band on its Facebook page. “It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our dear friend Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen,” the page wrote on Monday. “He enriched our lives and bound our group with love, care and respect,” the message continued. “Not sure how we can go on without his glowing smile and deep friendship. We love you Col. Rest in Peace.” No cause of death was revealed.

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A native of Queensland, Australia, Peterson’s first ambitions revolved around acting rather than musicianship. Under approval from his mother, he garnered his first acting gig at the ripe age of seven, and two years later starred in the 1956 film “Smiley,” a name he donned for the rest of his life. After taking an interest in piano, guitar, and drums during high school, Peterson at 20 made his way to London where he joined brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb to form the first rendition of the Bee Gees in 1967. They were aided by Vince Melouney, 79, who contributed guitar and vocals during the band’s first three years of international acclaim.

From 1967 to 1969, Peterson’s faithful stomp and timbre were recorded for hits like “Spicks and Specks” (1966), “Bee Gees’ 1st” (1967), “Horizontal” (1968), “Idea” (1968), “Odessa” (1969) and “Cucumber Castle” (1970). “Sometimes we’d spend hours in the studio, and nothing would come together, so we’d pack up and try again another day. But when inspiration hit, we could knock out three backing tracks in one night,” he recalled during a 2022 episode of the Strange Brew podcast. “I wasn’t the most technically skilled drummer, but I think that sometimes less is more. When you’re limited, you have to get creative. For me, it was always about serving the song.”

Their brief era was nearly over before it began when in 1967 U.K. authorities threatened to deport Peterson and Melouney, another Aussie, for improper visa accreditation. Only through a powerful public relations campaign by their manager Robert Stigwood did the government relent, but by 1970 Peterson’s relationship with Stigwood soured so poorly that he departed the band. His other stints in the music industry never saw commercial success. After losing royalty rights to the Bee Gees’ music in a 1974 court dispute, Peterson returned to Australia where he became a painter.

Despite the group’s splintering and subsequent resurrections with new members, Peterson played an enduring role in keeping their music alive as a traveling member of the official Bee Gees tribute group. At first, he expressed reluctance to participate but then “went to see the show. It would have been about the third song in, and I thought to myself, bloody hell, this band is really great, and the voices were so close, and it was well presented and they all seem really comfortable on stage and enjoying it, which is really important,” Peterson recalled in 2022.

He is survived by his ex-wife Joanne and their sons Jaime and Ben.

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