Barry Gibb, 77, has accomplished a lot on his career, but his greatest life success is his decades-long marriage to his wife, Linda Gray. After getting divorced from his first wife, Maureen Bates, when he was in his early 20s, the Bee Gees musician met Linda, a pageant titleholder from Scotland, while taping a BBC show and they quickly fell in love. Flash forward to over 50 years later, Barry and Linda have five children and multiple grandchildren. Linda has supported Barry in all his accomplishments, including being an honoree at the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors that airs December 27 on CBS.
Below is everything you need to know about Barry’s two marriages.
Maureen Bates
Barry was only 19 years old when he married his first wife on August 26, 1966. The couple tied the knot in Australia, where Barry was raised alongside his younger brothers, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb. Barry and Maureen’s marriage didn’t last long and they got divorced in July 1970. Not much else is known about Maureen.
Linda Gray
Barry and Linda met on the set of the British music TV show Top of the Pops in September 1967. The Bee Gees were performing on the show while Linda was hosting the episode after winning the title of Miss Edinburgh. “We just saw each other across the room and something happened,” Barry recalled to The Sun in 2021.
Linda reflected on meeting Barry on his episode of Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2017. “The girls I was with, they said, ‘Oh my god, that guy is so handsome. He’s looking at you! Oh, he’s coming over. He asked me if I’d like to go for a cup of tea,” she said, according to PEOPLE. Barry confirmed to Piers Morgan it was love at first sight when he met Linda. “In my head I thought, ‘That’s the woman I’m going to spend my life with.’ ” he said.
Barry and Linda tied the knot at London’s Caxton Hall on September 1, 1970, the same day as Barry’s 24th birthday.
The couple had five children together, starting with son Stephen, who was born in 1973. Stephen is a professional guitar player and has been in several hard rock and metal bands including Black Label Society, Crowbar, and Saigon Kick. Barry and Linda’s second son, Ashley, was born in 1977, followed by their third son, Travis, in 1981. The couple welcomed their fourth son, Michael, in 1984 and named him after Barry’s pal Michael Jackson. Barry and Linda’s only daughter, Alexandra, was born in 1991. Barry and Linda currently have seven grandchildren, according to multiple reports.
As fans may recall, Barry stopped playing music after his brothers Maurice and Robin died in 2003 and 2012, respectively. However, Linda inspired her husband to get back on the stage, he revealed to Billboard in 2016. “I was ready to quit. I was done. There was no point in going on any further,” he said. “She [Linda] came in, and she said, ‘You’ve got to get off your ass. She says, ‘No, no, you still have your own life. You’ve got to live.’ ”
Barry also credited Linda with helping him avoid addiction which his brothers both struggled with before dying. “My brothers had to deal with their demons, but I was married to a lady who wasn’t going to have it,” Barry said to The Guardian in 2020. “She never allowed me to go in that direction. I had to deal with my brothers being pretty much out there, but I was lucky,” he added.
