March 5, 1958 – March 10, 1988
A Big thank you to Steve Goldstein for his photographs of Andy Gibb’s house, and of Andy’s grave, from his website Beneath Los Angeles, accessible from the links page. Thanks Steve.
By some accounts, Andy was living in London at the end of his life. I haven’t found that to be true, and his official address at the time of his death was in Woodland Hills, California. There is also reason to believe that the singer was living in Miami at the time, because he had declared bankruptcy there in 1987. There are many people more qualified to write about Andy, and please, feel free to submit any more comments.
The home mentioned as his official address is located on Oakdale Avenue, in Woodland Hills. I think it’s really his sister’s house.
In the early Eighties, Andy Gibb co-hosted the TV show Solid Gold, and appeared in various stage productions.
Andy’s career as a singer peaked with songs like, “I Just Want to be Your Everything,” and “Shadow Dancing,” in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He also had a very public relationship with Victoria Principal, which ended badly in 1982. Word is out that Andy was really distraught that Victoria dumped him, but his cocaine use was just too much of a strain on their relationship. More about her later. Andy decided to enter the Betty Ford Clinic in 1985, for cocaine addiction.
While they were together, they released this single. Pass the insulin.
Andy finally got over sticky Vicky, supposedly kicked his coke habit, and was ready to return to work. By January 1988, comeback seemed close at hand. His bankruptcy had been discharged, and he had signed a new record deal with Island Records, and was scheduled to start recording in the spring.
In March of 1988, Andy was in London, working the new album. He celebrated his 30th birthday here on the 5th. He was staying near Oxford, when, on the morning of Thursday, March 10th, he entered John Radcliffe Hospital, complaining of chest pains.
UPDATE March 2001:
Findadeath.com friend Dominic Druce snapped these great pictures of the Hospital where Andy died.
Thank you Dominic!
Andy Gibb died on March 10, 1988, just five days past his 30th birthday. His death from myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) followed a long battle with cocaine addiction, which had weakened his heart. There were rumors of suicide, but those were squelched upon the release of his death certificate.
Find a Death friend Christina from Ontario writes in: “On Andy’s death certificate there is an error. Bernice Barbara Gibb is his mother (she goes by Barbara), and not his sister. As for the house being his sisters, Andy has two sisters. Leslie (who is the first born of the Gibb children) I believe she either lives in Australia or England. The other sister is Berri (who is the youngest and actually is a cousin and not an actual sibling), she lives in Las Vegas.” Thanks Christina.
He was shipped back to California, and his funeral was held at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. According to my friends, Kim and Roger, Victoria showed up for the funeral, but her limo was sent away. The Gibb brothers allegedly hold her responsible for Andy’s drug problems. They felt she dumped Andy, when she could have helped him. Tough call. My pal Lisa sent me this scan of the funeral prayer card thingy.
As I mentioned, this is pathetically thin, so if you have any real information to add, please do. I’m sure we’d all be grateful.
Findadeath friend Scott Williams writes in: “I don’t know what his last home address was, but, as you know, he did die in
England. According to a “Behind The Music” special on MTV, he was staying in a stone cottage outside London while making his “comeback” album, had gone back to drinking like a fish, (his prior comeback as Joseph, in the Broadway show “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” was looking like an Tony award winner when his cocaine habit took center stage and he was fired after several no-shows). His last words were reported to be “this can’t really kill you can it?” (the pericarditis). Sad. 30 years old.”
Findadeath.com friend Tara Akinlose adds this: “After he filed for bankruptcy, Andy was living in a condo owned by his brothers and getting a weekly allowance. He then got the deal with Island Records, and went to the UK to live on Robin’s estate. He was in the guest house at Robin’s (more like a mini castle), and having trouble writing songs on his own. He got depressed, and started drinking A LOT. He started missing meetings etc. His mother got worried and came to the UK.
A few days after his birthday, he started having chest pains, and was admitted to the hospital. His mom was with him, and didn’t want to leave him there, but in the UK, they do not let you stay overnight. Before she left, she looked in on him and he was sleeping peacefully. She left, with reservations. The next morning, he died. He’d been woken up by a medic asking if he could take blood. Andy said, “Okay, that’s fine.” Then he sighed and died.
I heard a story about Victoria and Andy when they were dating. Apparently she liked coke too and was capable of cutting coke like a Benihana chef. So maybe the Gibb brothers felt like she contributed to Andy’s addiction, since she liked to have a little toot on the side as well.
And as for Andy’s Greatest Hits Album, it is currently out of print. The only “new” song on it is “Man on Fire,” not “Broken Arrow.”
Thanks so much Tara. A wealth of information.
Findadeath.com friend Bill Boyer adds: Around the time of his death his reported income from the previous year was a whopping $8,000. He played mostly small venues, and that was pretty much it. I believe he was staying at his brother’s castle to write and record a new album. Well obviously he never made it. I think Island records were hounding him pretty bad about new music, although he did finish one song. It’s called, “Broken Arrow,” I think. It was released last year, on a Greatest Hits album.
Behold the Andy Gibb box!
he was so young when he died
you ought to see him on Gimme a Break! and Punky Brewster
read the book “The Worst Rock n’ Roll Records of All Time: A Fan’s Guide to the Stuff You Love to Hate”
Jimmy Guterman, Owen O’Donnell
and theres a poster of him i saw online thats easy to know about….his pants are so tight you can see….you gotta wonder if he went to the hospital because of that a few times!!!
Andy Fibb’s autopsy showed he was completely clean at the time he passed. However, the cumulative effects of the ‘lifestyle’ caught up to him, too uch, too fast, too soon. Andy Gibb would ahve done sensational as the fourth Bee Gee, and might have lived today to enjoy second superstar status with brother Barry Gibb as the surviving bee Gees under a better outcome.
Andy Gibb had the talent to standon his own two feet as a solo artist on his own, which Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb will never have. Andy Gibb also had the best looks in the music industry a literal GQ model with a microphone. The Hollywood scene in Andy’s time was an exposure not in his favor. All things considered, Andy held himself well in public, and Andy was still within clear reach in 1988 of a recording and performing comeback with just a little more look and some good song material on his side. We will never know.
I was searching for his obituaries in newspapers, and I found several that appear to be attempts at covering up the cause of death. Several say he sent into hospital suffering from stomach pains
According to the Bee Gees special, they were about to announce that Andy would officially join the Bee Gees but he died before they could.
Also, his parents are interred just around the corner from Andy at Forest Lawn. For some reason only his father’s name is on the plaque, but apparently both parents are there.
It was so insensitive of the tabloids to cash in on Andy’s death by fabricating stories that he had died of a cocaine overdose when he clearly did not and according to “Behind the Music”, the autopsy found no evidence of drugs or alcohol in Andy’s body.
I’m not sure if Andy was officially living in England at the time of his death or was just staying at Robin’s house in Thame, Oxfordshire.
I saw that doc on the Bee Gees on HBO, Maurice seemed to be super cool and the rest were mostly nice as well. Maurice told Andy to his face “You’ll lose your nice house and sports car if you keep this up”.
That doc was incredible. I loved it. Even my husband who doesn’t like documentaries, was enthralled.
His mother was of Irish and English descent, and his father was of Scottish and English descent.
He had four siblings: his sister, Lesley Evans; and three brothers—Barry and fraternal twins Robin and Maurice.
At the age of six months, After moving several times between Brisbane and Sydney, Andy returned to the United Kingdom in January 1967 as his three older brothers began to gain international fame as the Bee Gees.
Andy was easily the sexiest of the Brothers Gibb. I liked his music and had a major crush on him before I ever even realized I was as gay as a day in May. BTW Miss Principal supposedly turned Tony Perkins (of Norman Bates fame) straight. he was quoted as saying something to the effect of one night with her and he was “cured” of his queerness. I, personally, do not buy it for a second. Miss P is very lovely but she could never slap the dick out of this mouth.
Very good article! I read a very interesting article that I would like to recommend to anyone interested in the topic: https://www.hupcfl.com/
The song was not called “Broken Arrow.” It’s called “Arrow through the heart”.
may you rest in peace in peace andy gibb
The above information from ‘Find a Death friend Christina from Ontario ‘ is incorrect. Andy Gibb’s mother’s name was Barbara Mary (Pass) Gibb. Bernice Barbara (Beri) Gibb is Andy’s biological niece. She is the oldest child of Andy’s older sister, Leslie (Gibb) Evans. She was adopted/raised by Andy’s parents (hugh and Barbara Gibb).
Personal musings only – Andy was an innocent choir boy compared to Victoria Principal and didn’t stand a chance once he lost his heart to her –
Victoria was, what I’ve come to term, a “professional” girlfriend. Most everybody (including her white-washed Wikipedia page) seems to forget she hit the Hollywood-Beverly Hills scene as an underage “girlfriend” of notorious disgraced financier Bernard “Bernie” Cornfeld. Who, at 60, was “dating” 16 year old Heidi Fless! Think Jeffery Epstein 40-50 years ago – shouldl give you some idea of the social sewer Victoria was swimming in from a very young age.
Also heard from someone-in-the-know, Victoria was (allegedly) one of Madame Alex’s call girls and her ex-second husband, Beverly Hills plastic surgon Dr. Harry Glassman, mysteriously received half a million dollars after billionaress Doris Duke’s death and immediate cremation. Apparenty, single morphine injections are very costly in Beverly Hills….
Fully understand why Victoria was denied access by the family to Andy’s funeral. They knew exactly how she (allegedly) got Andy severly addicted and then abandoned him, (only) after the money ran out. God willing, there’s a special place in Hell for people like her.
PS: Ran into her more than once, tough as nails broad –
Madame Alex Days?
https://happybday.to/sites/pics/Victoria-Principal-sexy-1.jpg
Reportedly Victoria cleaned up big time with her Principal Secrets cosmetics line. Back in the day read it was in the $50 million range! Now you too can get Victoria’s natural look:
https://bilder.t-online.de/b/40/53/52/40/id_40535240/tid_da/index.jpg
Used to work in same small Bevery Hills building as her, at the time, plastic surgeon hubby. Became a “connoisseur” at spotting work done. Based on the huge volume of pics reviewed to find the two here, the womans approaching Michael Jackson, Jocelyn Wildenstein territory….
Het Matt, You sound like a jilted lover or wanna be lover of Victoria Principal. It’s not a good look. Perhaps you should swim in your own lane and stop creating drama. No one is interested in heresy.
Sorry sport, no class whores ain’t my speed. Would be most interested to hear of your encounters with Ms. Principal & your take on her.
You’re absolutely right!
For this “woman” it’s all about money, not love. I am a woman myself and in my opinion she, this VP-gal didn’t deserve a kind and beautiful Soul like Andy Gibb. She had some nerve to try and show up at his funeral, but fortunately his Brothers projected him and sent this b*tch away. She should be ashamed of herself. Andy was insecure and for her an easy target.
“Sad end to the less famous brother of a white satin trio. He died after injecting his c*ck with coke. There was a possibility he could have been saved but the family didn’t allow the drs to perform the procedure as it would have been difficult to conceal what the real issue was “…
https://www.datalounge.com/thread/14554339-andy-gibb
Health Dangers Of Injecting Cocaine Into The Penis…
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201703/genital-drug-injection
Stop posting GOSSIP. That’s not even a LITTLE BIT true ! He died of Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) from his use of cocaine and alcohol. He had this condition for (approximately) two years before he died. Barry Gibb spoke about this in an interview. (Youtube).
You think that a needle in the weedle wouldn’t cause the myocarditis to explode into deadness faster? Hell. If you were there to know if it was true or not, shame on you for not helping faster.
Andy did NOT do any such thing. Shame on you!! Remove this at once!!
Shame on YOU for not helping faster since you were clearly one of the two there to know he didn’t do it!