DRUMMER Dennis Bryon has died aged 76, making him the second Bee Gees star to pass away in the past week.
Bryon’s death last Thursday came just four days before the death of fellow Bee Gees drummer Colin “Smiley” Petersen aged 78.
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Blue Weaver – who played alongside him in another band named Amen Corner – announced Bryon’s death in Nashville, Tennessee in a Facebook post.
He said: “I am lost for words at the moment. Dennis has passed away.
“Kayte, Dennis’s wife has just called me and asked if I would let all friends and fans know. This was such a shock.
“Dennis has been my friend since we were in our first band together age 15.
“His great drumming will always Stay Alive.”
Bryon played the drums on some of the Bee Gee’s biggest disco hits, including Stayin’ Alive And Night Fever.
He appeared in all Bee Gees recordings and live shows in the band’s 1970s heyday.
The drummer was born in Cardiff in 1949 and first performed with psychedelic band Amen Corner before joining the Bee Gees.
It comes after original Bee Gees drummer Petersen died on November 18.
Petersen played the drums on hits like Massachusetts, To Love Somebody and Words.
The Best of Bee Gees announced: “It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our dear friend Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen.
“He enriched our lives and bound our group with love, care and respect.
“Not sure how we can go on without his glowing smile and deep friendship. We love you Col. Rest in Peace.”
Petersen began his career as a young actor starring in the Australian film Smiley, which gave him his nickname.
In a 2022 interview with Jason Barnard on The Strange Brew Podcast he explained the band’s creative process.
He said: “We’d often go into the studio without a song, which gave me the chance to experiment with tempos and rhythms.
“Those tracks had a real spontaneity because we worked on them as a group.
“We never recorded our parts separately. It was all done together with the orchestra coming in later.”
Describing his approach to drumming, Colin said: “I was really quite imaginative with my playing, but there were a lot of lot of drummers at the time that were technically much more advanced than I was.
“Look, Chuck Berry only probably knew four chords, right? So sometimes when you’re limited you’ve got to be creative.
“I think you can overdo the technique and you get to a stage where you can’t see the wood for the trees.
“I’ve always been a song guy with drumming.”
In recent years, Petersen worked with The Best of the Bee Gees tribute show.
He is survived by his ex-wife Joanne and their sons Jaime and Ben.
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