POP MUSIC SENSATION OF THE 1970S, ANDY GIBB, MYSTERIOUSLY DIES AT AGE 30 IN GREAT BRITAIN (OXFORD)
An exerpt from "Death By Rock & Roll: The Untimely Deaths of the Legends of Rock" by: Gary J. Katz
Andrew Roy Gibb was born in Manchester, England on March 5, 1958. Gibb would soon follow in the footsteps of his older brothers, Barry, Robin, and Maurice. Although many in the industry thought that Andy Gibb would become the fourth Bee Gee, he quickly became a pop music sensation of his own. He had his first No. 1 hit and became a pop teen idol by the age of nineteen. Between May 1977 and April 1978, he charted three No. 1 songs in a row. And by 1981, he would have a total of nine hit songs in the Top 40, resulting in four gold records and one platinum record.
In the early eighties Gibb co-hosted the syndicated TV show "Solid Gold" and appeared in various stage productions. His romantic involvement with actress Victoria Principal was a staple in the news tabloids.
After his breakup with Principal, Gibb turned to drugs to ease the pain and was admitted to the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment of cocaine abuse. In 1987, he filed for bankruptcy in Miami, declaring less than $50,000 in assets and more than $1 million in debt.
By January 1988, a strong comeback seemed close at hand. Gibb’s bankruptcy had been discharged; the singer had signed a new record deal with Island Records and was scheduled to start recording in the spring. According to a spokeswoman for Island Records, "Gibb was admitted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on Monday for observation after complaining of stomach pains." He died the following Thursday, March 10, 1988, from an inflammatory heart virus. He was thirty years old.
