Andrew Roy Gibb
(March 5th 1958 – March 10th 1988)
was an
English singer and musician.
He rose to international fame
in the late 1970s
as a
teen idol
and
pop star.
The younger brother of
Barry, Robin, and
Maurice Gibb
of
the Bee Gees,
Gibb achieved
major success
in close collaboration
with his brothers.
He was the
first solo artist
to have his
first three singles
reach number one
on the
US Billboard Hot 100.
Born in England
and raised
in Australia,
Gibb began
performing professionally
in his teens
before moving to
the United States,
where he signed with
RSO Records.
His debut album,
Flowing Rivers
(1977),
produced three
US number-one singles:
"I Just Want to Be Your Everything,"
"(Love Is) Thicker Than Water,"
and
"Shadow Dancing,"
the last of which
also topped charts
internationally
and became his
signature song.
His subsequent albums,
Shadow Dancing
(1978)
and
After Dark
(1980),
further cemented
his popularity.
In the early 1980s,
Gibb expanded into
theater and television,
starring in productions of
The Pirates of Penzance
(1981)
and
Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat
(1982),
and co-hosting
the music show
Solid Gold
(1981–82).
However,
his career was disrupted
by substance abuse
and depression,
leading to declining
commercial success.
In 1988,
just days after his
30th birthday,
Gibb died
from myocarditis,
exacerbated by
years of drug use.
