Robin Gibb died in a London hospital today after a battle with colon and liver cancer. He was 62. Robin's series of health crises began in August 2010 when he underwent emergency surgery to treat a blocked intestine. The same hereditary condition led to Robin's twin brother Maurice Gibb's death in January 2003 at age 53.

Gibb's family released a statement today, saying: "The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."

[Related: 2012 Billboard Music Awards Photo Gallery]

Gibb's death puts a spotlight on Bee Gees, one of the most successful groups in pop music history. The brother trio, which also included oldest brother Barry Gibb and Robin's twin Maurice, amassed nine #1 hits on Billboard's Hot 100, a total matched by only two other groups or duos. The Beatles lead with 20. The Supremes had 12.

Bee Gees had the key hits on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which topped The Billboard 200 album chart for 24 weeks in 1978. It's one of only seven albums since 1955 to log 24 or more weeks at #1. It's the longest-running #1 album by artists who were born in England. (Adele's 21, which has been #1 for 23 weeks, is second in that regard.)

Glee aired a tribute to the album just last month. It was the series' second episode-length tribute to a classic album, following its salute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours which aired in May 2011.

At their peak in 1978, Bee Gees were virtually as hot and inescapable as any act of the rock era. That includes Elvis Presley in 1956, the Beatles in 1964 and Michael Jackson in 1983-1984. For two weeks in February and March 1978, the trio had three hits in the top 10 simultaneously: "How Deep Is Your Love," "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever." In addition to those monster hits, Barry and Robin had a co-writing credit on a fourth song in the top 10 (Samantha Sang's creampuff ballad "Emotion") and Barry had co-writing credit on a fifth (Andy Gibb's "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water.")

[VIDEO: Robin Gibb, 1949-2012]

Bee Gees (there's no "the" in their name, just as there's no "the" in Eagles or Carpenters) had 15 top 10 hits, which puts them in a three-way tie for the most top 10 hits by a family group since 1955. They're tied with the Everly Brothers and the Beach Boys, which, in its heyday, consisted of three brothers, a cousin and a friend.

Bee Gees' broad appeal is seen in the fact that they also had four top 10 hits on the R&B chart: "You Should Be Dancing," "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever" and "Too Much Heaven." Saturday Night Fever topped the R&B album chart for six weeks, a record unmatched by a white artist until George Michael's Faith topped that chart for six weeks in 1988.

Bee Gees even cracked the top 40 on the country chart with "Rest Your Love On Me," the B-side to "Too Much Heaven."

The trio amassed eight top 10 albums. The tally consists of three studio albums, two hits compilations, two soundtracks and a live album.

In 1958, the family moved from Manchester, England to Brisbane, Australia, where the brothers performed as the Gibbs, BG's and finally Bee Gees.

The brothers returned to England in February 1967 and promptly became international pop stars. Bee Gees first hit the Hot 100 in May 1967 with "New York Mining Disaster 1941 Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones." Barry was 20 at the time. Maurice and Robin were just 17 (younger than any of the members of One Direction or The Wanted are now).

Their debut album, Bee Gees 1st, hit the chart in August 1967. It made the top 10 three months later.

Bee Gees first cracked the top 10 on the Hot 100 in September 1968 with "I've Gotta Get A Message To You." Robin left for a solo career in1969, but returned in 1970. In January 1971, the reunited brothers landed their first top five hit, "Lonely Days." That August, they scored their first #1 with the tender ballad "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart." (Al Green, no less, covered the song on his 1972 album Let's Stay Together.)