Introduction:
They had a short-lived and rocky romance.
To say that Maurice Gibb‘s and Lulu‘s marriage was a whirlwind would be an understatement.
The Bee Gees‘ trusted keyboardist and bass player met the Scottish singer when she was just 19 and he was 20, marrying just months after their first encounter.
This was just before Lulu became an internationally renowned star after her Eurovision win, with both musician’s careers blossoming from then onwards.
Like most showbiz couples, things began to deteriorate swiftly, predominantly due to Maurice’s drinking habit which was getting out of control.
Reflecting on their marriage years later on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, Lulu said: “We thought we were king and queen of the world and were fabulous.”
“The drinking was a part of it but we shouldn’t have got married in the first place… we should have just had a romance.”
It was a young and dumb love that wouldn’t last, with the pair separating before eventually divorcing in 1974.
Despite their split, Maurice and Lulu would remain close for the rest of their lives, coming together nearly thirty years after their marriage ended for a gorgeous duet.
Maurice was devastated after Lulu ended their marriage: “I decided it had to end,” she confessed on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.
“He didn’t want it to end and it hurt him. I totally loved and adored him but… in love with him? I was probably in love with love.”
Nevertheless, Maurice retained his affection and respect for her even after they had both moved on.
But nobody would’ve thought they’d take to the stage together once again, three decades on from their romance.
That’s precisely what happened in 2002, when Maurice reunited with Lulu on her show An Audience With Lulu.
Even though other episodes included guests such as Elton John, Ronan Keating, and Enrique Iglesias, it was Mo’s appearance that had fans in awe.
Mo was now loving a life of sobriety having been dogged by drinking problems throughout his entire life, that nearly ended his second marriage as it did his first.
Re-establishing their connection, Lulu invited Mo on to sing with her, with the Bee Gees’ icon suggesting they sing ‘Islands In The Stream‘ together.
Of course, it was the Bee Gees who penned ‘Islands In The Stream’ for Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, offering them up one of the ’80s’ most beloved songs.
But Lulu suggested another song that meant a lot to both of them – ‘First Of May’.
‘First Of May’ was in fact the Bee Gees’ song that both Mo and Lulu first sang together on television back when they first married.
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It was a gorgeous moment of two people reconnecting through music and mutual respect for one another.
Who knows, their lives may have turned out to be completely different in a parallel universe if Mo didn’t let his alcoholism spiral out of control.
Sadly, even though Maurice was on a good ebb having successfully remained sober for the most part of a decade, he died tragically the following year.
At his intimate, private funeral shortly after, Lulu attended to pay her respects to her former husband. Thankfully, they had remained friends until the very end.