Robin Gibb's son played Bee Gees song as he passed away

Robin Gibb's grieving son gave his father a heartbreaking send off by playing a classic Bee Gees song from his cell phone as the singer slipped away.

The Bee Gees legend died on 20 May (12), aged 62, after a long battle with liver and colon cancer, and his son Robin-John has now opened up about the moving musical moment when his father passed away.

He tells Britain's The Sun newspaper, "When he passed away we went out (of the hospital room), they (medical staff) took the equipment away and we came back in. I picked up my phone and found I Started A Joke on YouTube and played it. I put the phone on his chest and that was the first time I broke down. I knew that song and its lyrics were perfect for that moment. That song will always have new meaning to me now."

But Robin-John admits it has been hard to hear the tune ever since: "A couple of days later I was at our favorite restaurant and I Started A Joke came on the radio the exact time he died, 10.46pm. I cried that time too, but in a different way. If you listen to the lyrics, 'I finally died, which started the whole world living', that goes with dad's spirit that the show must go on. It will definitely be played at the funeral."

A private memorial for close family and friends is to be held in Thame, Oxfordshire on 8 June (12).