Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen, best known as the original drummer of Bee Gees, has died. He was 78.

The Best of the Bee Gees Facebook page announced his death on Monday, Nov. 18. The page did not disclose when Petersen died or his cause of death.

“It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our dear friend Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen,” began the heartfelt message.

“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.”

As an original member of the musical group, he contributed to four albums and to several hit songs, including “Massachusetts,” “To Love Somebody” and “Words.”

Petersen joined the group when the Gibb brothers moved to London in 1966. Before Petersen’s death, Robin died in 2012 at the age of 62, and Maurice died in 2003 at the age of 53. Barry, 78, is now the only living member of the group. Dennis Bryon, former Bee Gee drummer who played for the band from 1974-1980, died on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.

Born Frederick Colin Petersen in Queensland, Australia. He attended the same school as Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, although they were not enrolled at the same time. Petersen left school to star in the classic Australian film 1956 film Smiley — which is how he earned his nickname. Years later the brothers connected with him before they all left Sydney for London.

In 1966, he moved to England with hopes of continuing a career on the screen. But, things weren’t in his favor for that long, and he connected with the brothers, when they proposed he become the fourth Bee Gee. Vince Melouney also joined the group around the same time. Then from 1967 to 1969, Petersen performed on several albums.

Petersen’s drumming helped establish the group as an international sensation. “I wasn’t the most technically skilled drummer, but I think that sometimes less is more. When you’re limited, you have to get creative—just like Chuck Berry, who made magic with just a few chords. For me, it was always about serving the song,” he said in a The Strange Brew Podcast 2022 interview with Jason Barnard, per The Mirror.

“We’d often go into the studio without a song, which gave me the chance to experiment with tempos and rhythms,” he added of the group’s signature sound. “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.”

He and the group parted ways in 1969. That year, he went to work with another former Bee Gees member, Jonathan Kelly, and formed Humpy Bong band. The group stayed together until 1970. After they disbanded, Petersen managed Kelly as a solo artist during the early 1970s.

Petersen married Joanne Newfield in 1968. They welcomed their first son, Jamie, in 1971, and their second son in 1976. Petersen and his family returned to Sydney in 1974.

More recently, he worked with The Best of the Bee Gees tribute show. In 2022, he told The Fassifern Guardian that, at first, he was “a little bit reluctant” to rejoin the group. “I went to see the show. It would have been about the third song in, and I thought to myself, bloody hell, this band is really great, and the voices were so close, and it was well presented and they all seem really comfortable on stage and enjoying it, which is really important.

He is survived by his ex-wife Joanne and their sons Jaime and Ben.