Bee Gees: 'Jackson's legacy will triumph'

Robin Gibb has said that Michael Jackson's legacy will triumph over his past controversies.

The former Bee Gees singer paid respect to Jackson and claimed that his music will continue to be appreciated by future generations.

"We have not only lost a great friend in Michael but also a wonderful, sensitive human being. The Bee Gees heard music with the same ears. He had a great voice and millions of people yet to be born will sing his songs," he told the BBC.

"This tragedy should teach us a lesson to value and praise those gifts while we still have them in the world.

"If even a small portion of the praise that is bestowed on Michael Jackson now in death was given to him last year in life, he might well still be with us.

"That is the sad truth. One consolation is that he will triumph by his legacy."

An autopsy is expected to be carried out on the 50-year-old's body later today. He passed away at the UCLA Medical Centre last night after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest.

> Obituary: Michael Jackson