Bee Gees star Colin Petersen has died aged 78.
The musician - who was nicknamed "Smiley" - was the original drummer of the iconic group in the 1960s and the first non-Gibb brother to become an official member of the band, after siblings Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb formed the 'Night Fever' hitmakers.
Bee Gees tribute act The Best of the Bee Gees - who Colin had previously performed alongside on tour - said in a statement: "It is with the heaviest of hearts that the Best of the Bee Gees Show announces the passing of our legend, Colin “Smiley” Petersen on Monday 18 November, 2024.
"Colin was a much loved “family” member of the troupe, holding our audiences spellbound with his stories of the lead role in the iconic Australian film “Smiley”, as the drummer in the original Bee Gees, and performing with the Best of the Bee Gees regularly for the last five years."
Colin's manager Greg Shaw admitted it was "an honour" to count the late star as a friend.
He said: "I’ve known Colin for 34 years and was thrilled when he agreed to bring his career full circle by joining the Best of the Bee Gees.
"His endearing nature and unabashed storytelling added unique perspectives to the shows and he was loved on and off stage. It was an honour to have called him my friend."
Colin played drums on several Bee Gees albums, including '1st', 'Horizontal', 'Idea', 'Odessa' and 'Cucumber Castle', before he left the group in 1969.
The stickman departed during the recording of 1970 record 'Cucumber Castle', and he was replaced by Terry Cox, who performed on the remaining tracks.
Speaking about the Bee Gees' creative process on 'The Strange Brew Podcast' in 2022, he said: "We'd often go into the studio without a song, which gave me the chance to experiment with tempos and rhythms.
"Those tracks had a real spontaneity because we worked on them as a group.
"We never recorded our parts separately. It was all done together with the orchestra coming in later."
Colin earned the nickname Smiley after he performed in an Australian film of the same name as a budding actor.
