Stage & Film Producer, Bee Gees Manager Robert Stigwood Dies at 81

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Australian native Robert Stigwood, stage and film producer and Bee Gees manager, has passed away. He was 81.

He was THE AGENT and manager for '60s ROCK ICONS Cream and The Bee Gees in the '70s before he took his passion to the theatre world. His hit film SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER featured several Bee Gees songs, and he also worked with music legends such as The Beatles, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Eric Clapton.

Stigwood, who wrote the book for SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, went on to produce GREASE, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, EVITA (which won the 1980 Tony Award for Best Musical) and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR on Broadway and in the West End. He was also behind the Broadway debut of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT.

Stigwood also produced AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' and SWEENEY TODD in London and RACHAEL LILY ROSENBLOOM AND DON'T YOU EVER FORGET IT, HAIR, OH! CALCUTTA!, PIPPIN and more in New York via the Robert Stigwood Organisation.

As a film producer, he backed GREASE and TOMMY, as well as the SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER sequel STAYING ALIVE and the follow-up GREASE 2. His 1978 film version of SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND bombed at the box office, but the big screen adaptation of EVITA, starring Madonna, won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in 1996.

He also produced the soundtracks for the film edition of FAME and the STAR WARS movie THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.