On March 5, 1988, Gibb celebrated his 30th birthday in London while working on a new album. Two days after celebrating his birthday, he entered John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford complaining of chest pains. At around 8:30 am on March 10, 1988, Gibb's doctor told him that more tests were needed to determine the cause of his chest pains. Later that day, Gibb slumped into unconsciousness and died as a result of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by years of cocaine abuse that fatally weakened his heart. This diagnosis was supported by William Shell, a cardiologist who had previously treated Gibb. With the announcement of Gibb's death, his ex-wife, Kim Reeder, was not surprised. "I always knew that one day I'd get a call with news like this. It was only a matter of time." The Gibb family would also maintain it was not an overdose that killed Gibb, as some media reports suggested, but natural causes after years of substance abuse.
