Andy Gibb was of course the little brother of the Gibb trio (The Bee Gees). He was known as a very sweet person who was humble despite his many positive attributes. He quit school at the age of 13 and played guitar and sang at small venues. The reason he got away with quitting school is because of the success of his brothers so his parents knew it was inevitable that he'd have a professional career in music so his mom took over as his manager and he began his journey.
Three years later, his brothers convinced him to pursue a music career in the U.S. His good looks, writing abilities, and the Gibbs sound, helped his career take off with such hits as "I Just Want to be Your Everything," "Love is, Thicker Than Water," "Shadow Dancing," and "Don't Throw it All Away." He was just 19 years-old when he achieved stardom. All the music shows wanted him to perform and his picture was plastered all over teen magazines for years.
Along with his rise to fame came a rise in substance abuse. He was clinically depressed and he became addicted to alcohol and cocaine. He got married to a girlfriend from Australia but it ended in divorce after less than two years. At the time of the divorce his wife was pregnant with what would end up being his only child, a daughter named Peta Jaye. If you remember, he also had an affair with Victoria Principle which was often in the tabloids.
He held it together for the first two albums but he wasn't following through with scheduled performances and when his third album was released, the record company ditched him due to his alcohol and drug problems. His music career never recovered. He went on to host the popular television show: "Solid Gold," for one year but his drug problem ruined it as well. He was given the chance to act in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," but often wouldn't show up for rehearsal so they fired him.
His depression along with his alcohol and drug abuse, kept getting worse. After he celebrated his 30th birthday he went to the hospital complaining of chest pains and died five days later. The Gibb family stated that it wasn't an overdose that killed Andy, as some media reports stated, but died as a result of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by a recent viral infection. But the bottom line is that his substance abuse helped lead to his health problems.
We've lost so many talented music artists to drugs and alcohol. I often wonder if we heard the best of what was inside them. How many songs were left unwritten? It's truly sad.
Three years later, his brothers convinced him to pursue a music career in the U.S. His good looks, writing abilities, and the Gibbs sound, helped his career take off with such hits as "I Just Want to be Your Everything," "Love is, Thicker Than Water," "Shadow Dancing," and "Don't Throw it All Away." He was just 19 years-old when he achieved stardom. All the music shows wanted him to perform and his picture was plastered all over teen magazines for years.
Along with his rise to fame came a rise in substance abuse. He was clinically depressed and he became addicted to alcohol and cocaine. He got married to a girlfriend from Australia but it ended in divorce after less than two years. At the time of the divorce his wife was pregnant with what would end up being his only child, a daughter named Peta Jaye. If you remember, he also had an affair with Victoria Principle which was often in the tabloids.
He held it together for the first two albums but he wasn't following through with scheduled performances and when his third album was released, the record company ditched him due to his alcohol and drug problems. His music career never recovered. He went on to host the popular television show: "Solid Gold," for one year but his drug problem ruined it as well. He was given the chance to act in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," but often wouldn't show up for rehearsal so they fired him.
His depression along with his alcohol and drug abuse, kept getting worse. After he celebrated his 30th birthday he went to the hospital complaining of chest pains and died five days later. The Gibb family stated that it wasn't an overdose that killed Andy, as some media reports stated, but died as a result of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by a recent viral infection. But the bottom line is that his substance abuse helped lead to his health problems.
We've lost so many talented music artists to drugs and alcohol. I often wonder if we heard the best of what was inside them. How many songs were left unwritten? It's truly sad.
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