Gibb, singer with one of the biggest-selling groups of all time and a key figure in the breakthrough of disco, died on May 20 aged 62, having lost his battle against cancer.

His private funeral service was to take place after 12:30pm at St Mary's Church in the picturesque town of Thame in Oxfordshire, central England, where bells pealed as black-clad mourners arrived for the service.

At least 100 fans and locals were waiting in the street in gloomy weather.

A glass-sided hearse drawn by four horses is to carry Gibb's coffin to the church from his home of many years.

His son Robin-John has said that the Bee Gees' hit I Started A Joke will be played at the funeral, as will the track Don't Cry Alone, from his Titanic Requiem, which premiered weeks before his death.

His family said that it was Gibb's wish to "say a final goodbye to fans and his home town of Thame".

Friday's ceremony was a private service for close family and friends, but a memorial service will be held later this year.

The Bee Gees – brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb – helped turn disco into a global phenomenon in the 1970s with hits such as How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin' Alive, and Night Fever.

Although originally from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, they grew up in Manchester and Australia and were singing publicly from childhood.

Born on December 22, 1949, Robin was 17 when he sang lead vocals on the Bee Gees' first British number one, Massachusetts, in 1967, before they switched styles to disco in the 1970s.

The trio's sharp songwriting and immaculate harmonies helped them notch up record sales of more than 200 million.