The magnificent, rambling 12th-century mansion in Oxfordshire that Robin Gibb calls home is full: its flagstoned hall rings with noise.

The former Bee Gee, 61, is surrounded by the love of his nearest and dearest as he fights liver cancer.

His wife, Dwina, sweeps about with her enormous Irish wolfhounds in tow. And three of Gibb's children are also helping care for him.

Gibb's older brother Barry has been to visit, too, as has his mother Barbara, 92.

And one of his closest and oldest friends, his old record company boss David English, has been to see him.

English said: "He's not very well, obviously. The whole family was there when I went to see him.

"The first thing I did was to give him a hug" carefully because he is quite frail. Though he is very, very thin, his mind is just as sharp as ever, as is his wonderful sense of humour. Barry and I were crying with laughter at the things he comes out with, as we always do with Rob."

The main topic of conversation was not, as you might expect, Gibb's health, but an idea floated by Barry that the two of them could tour the US next year "if he can get well".

It's extraordinary, given that the liver cancer with which Gibb was diagnosed this spring offers a brutally meagre 10 per cent chance of survival beyond five years, "less if it has spread".

English, who spent four hours with his old friend, said: "Barry came out with it and said: ‘Look, why don't we go on the road again?' And Rob just grinned and said: ‘Great, when can we go?'

"We said ‘well, we need to get you a bit stronger and better first, we will have to feed you up, none of this vegan nonsense with herbal tea'. I think it was the best medicine we could have given him."

Sadly, Gibb "whose songwriting has brought him a £140 million [Dh794 million] fortune" is, in fact, desperately ill, his health so poor that there is no disguising the crisis any longer.

Three weeks ago, he was treated in hospital for inflammation of the colon. Last week, he was taken back to hospital with suspected pneumonia.

He is understood to be improving daily from that scare, thanks to a course of powerful antibiotics, but remains in a vulnerable state.

Dwina, an artist, poet and ordained druid, is encouraging him to undergo daily 20-minute sessions in a detox hut to sweat out toxins.

She has been exploring Native American "spider medicine', which promises to cure "even untreatable" diseases.

Gibb wrote on his blog last week that he believes he is on the mend.

"I have been very unwell and am now on the road to recovering, and your prayers and wishes are a great tonic to me. I believe because of you I will get well, and my deepest love goes out to you all," he said.

Devastated

This crisis in his health has put everyone in mind of his twin brother, Maurice, who died suddenly in 2003, aged 53, after what had been expected to be a straightforward operation to correct an intestinal blockage.

Gibb was devastated by his twin's death, which he says he still hasn't really been able to accept.

"He took ill and two days later he had gone. We were absolutely devastated," said Gibb

"As brothers, we were like one person, but he was the glue that kept the personalities intact."

It's reported that Gibb declined to have a party to celebrate his birthday last year because it should have been Maurice's special day, too. Instead, he and his family lit a candle in his brother's memory.

That painful milestone approaches again next month.

"It was devastating for him when his brother Andy died, but he and Maurice had an extra special bond as they were twins," says English.

What's more, in an uncanny coincidence, Gibb too, has suffered from an intestinal blockage. Last October, he had emergency surgery, just as Maurice did.

"At the time I thought it was just wind cramps,' said Robin. "But the blockage was so bad that the surgeon was surprised it hadn't burst the day before.

"The relief [after surgery] was enormous and afterwards I didn't need painkillers. Everything seemed back to normal."

Robin, who left school at 13 to pursue a career in showbusiness, is a highly intelligent man, and the emergency gave him intimations of his own mortality.

He said in an interview: "You realise you don't think about death or think: ‘That's for other people.' I'm just grateful I'm here. Losing people makes you realise you've got to grab life, not put off things. I don't have too much faith in destiny or an afterlife. This is it."

And what a life it has been. Gibb, a shy, laconic loner, was raised in poverty and rode the crest of the disco wave as a tight-trousered sex symbol. Gibb was only 17 when they had their first hit, New York Mining Disaster, and he fell in love with Molly Hullis.

But as the Bee Gees's fame took off, Gibb's drug use became pronounced.

Intrigued

"I loved my life, but I was young and still attracted to other people. I have a high sex drive and I was unfaithful," he said.

He was at a low ebb when he was introduced to Dwina. They met after he became intrigued by a painting she had done for the actress Sarah Miles. They fell deeply in love and their son Robin-John was born in 1983.

Their relationship was tested when Gibb fathered a child by their housekeeper, Claire Yang. Dwina was said to be furious when the news emerged two years ago, and was said to have insisted Yang be sacked. Yang and her daughter Snow Robin, an enchanting three-year-old, live in a converted barn close to Gibb's home.

Gibb's manager Mick Garbutt says there was never any question of a divorce. "There was maybe some irritation, but they are together now and are together in the future," he says.

David English says: "We all love Rob. His is an extraordinary success story and has brought so much joy to people with his music, but there has been so much tragedy in it.

"I know the odds are against him, but I am hoping we can get him out there again because that is where he wants to be."