BARRY GIBB STEPPED ONSTAGE WITH HIS NIECE FOR A BEE GEES CLASSIC — BUT THE FAMILY STORY BEHIND THEIR DUET TURNED THE PERFORMANCE INTO A DEEPLY MOVING TRIBUTE TO THE BROTHER THEY BOTH LOST.

The Gibb family might just be the most talented on the planet, with the Bee Gees brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb tearing up an unmatched streak on the charts over the decades. It’s not just the brothers that were blessed with tremendous talent though, as seen when 34-year-old Samantha Gibb joined her uncle Barry onstage to sing Bee Gees classic “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”.

Bee Gees (9/16) - How can you mend a broken heart

Samantha, who is the daughter of late Bee Gees bassist Maurice Gibb, joined Barry onstage at the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia on May 19, 2014 for a moving duet. The pair shared a hug onstage before the performance and Barry introduced the song by saying “We’re going to sing a song that is our favourite, and certainly one of her dad’s favourites, and we hope you like it.”

The ballad took on an air of a tribute to Maurice, who died suddenly at age 53 on January 12, 2003, after a cardiac arrest following surgery for a twisted intestine. Samantha took the opening verse, singing Skeeter Davis’s hit “The End of the World”, which recounts the pain of missing a loved one. Clearly, she inherited plenty of her father’s talent, as she skillfully reinterpreted the country pop vocal into an R&B vibe.

Barry chimed in next and transitioned into “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”, which has a similar theme to the lyrics. Samantha then took the second verse of the Bee Gees number, and again made it her own by adding a soulful vibe. The pair then joined their voices together for the chorus, creating a truly beautiful moment. The Bee Gees gave another excellent performance of the song on April 17, 2001 at the Manhattan Center, with all three brothers present and singing their hearts out.

Bee Gees - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (Live in Las Vegas, 1997 - One Night Only)

Samantha is based in Nashville and has launched her own career in the biz. She began a songwriting partnership with Lazaro Rodriguez in 2004 and has since been releasing her own original music and writing songs for other artists.

“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” holds a special place in Bee Gees history, as the song became the band’s first US number one hit. The ballad was released as the first single from the band’s 1971 studio album Trafalgar and it eventually went Gold in the US.

The song was written in August 1970 and was initially credited to Barry and Robin Gibb. However, Maurice eventually received a writing credit for “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” when it was included on the 2009 compilation album Ultimate Bee Gees.