"Bye, Bye, Love” — No happy ending for “Cathy’s Clown” hit makers PHIL & DON EVERLY.
ONSTAGE, the Everly Brothers harmonized beautifully, but behind the scenes they despised each other so intensely that they wouldn’t even share a dressing room.
Hiding their bitterness from fans, the pioneering rock duo feuded right up until younger brother Phil died at age 74 on Jan. 3 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“Don should have been by Phil’s side when he passed,” said a close industry source. “But the truth is, the Everly Brothers were out of tune with one another – they really hated each other’s guts!”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers refused to do joint interviews and posed for photos together only by appointment.
Their contracts not only called for them to have separate dressing rooms but also separate stage entrances.
Often, they wouldn’t even look at one another while performing!
After Phil’s death in Burbank, Calif., his brother Don, 76, said in a statement: “The world might be mourning an Everly Brother, but I’m mourning my brother Phil Everly.”
But the music legends – whose hits include “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie” and “All I have to Do Is Dream” – never got over what happened during a 1973 concert in Buena Park, Calif.
“Don was so drunk he couldn’t remember the lyrics,” revealed the source. “Phil was furious!
“While performing ‘Cathy’s Clown,’ Phil smashed his guitar and stormed offstage. Don told the startled audience the group was finished.”
Despite attempted reunions, lasting peace eluded the brothers.
Poignantly, Don’s wife Adela is now trying to close the breech.
“Don is heartbroken,” she told The ENQUIRER. “He’s very sad. We ALL are.”
