06-30-2022 , 05:24 AM
https://people.com/music/andy-gibb-biogr...addiction/ Andy Gibb Biography Captures His Struggle with Fame, Cocaine Addiction and Death at 30
"Andy's downfall was as spectacular as his rise to the top," says author Matthew Hild, who interviewed friends and musicians who knew Andy from his earliest days
By Liz McNeil
June 29, 2022 12:00 PM Thirty-four years after his death on March 10, 1988 at age 30, a new biography Arrow Through the Heart re-examines the blazing talent and tragic end of Andy Gibb.
"Andy's downfall was as spectacular as his rise to the top," says author Matthew Hild, who interviewed friends and musicians who knew Andy from his earliest days back when he dreamt of becoming a Bee Gee and joining his brothers onstage.
The biography explores his deep insecurities, struggles with fame and descent into cocaine addiction, which ravaged his health. "Andy was beloved and yet it all went terribly wrong," says Hild. "But the seeds of that were planted long before, when still in his teens, he was thrust onto the world stage." He launched his solo career playing in bars in Ibiza and Australia as a teen and made a name for himself. By 1976, his eldest brother Barry Gibb, whom he idolized, told him he wanted to work together. And Hild describes how the two brothers reunited at Robert Stigwood's estate to collaborate on some "surefire hits" for his first album. "Andy could only sit and watch in astonishment as Barry wrote "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" on the spot in about 20 minutes," writes Hild.
The song spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, soon followed by "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" and "Shadow Dancing." Andy made pop history after his first three singles became No. 1 hits — turning him into a global superstar at age 19.
But behind Andy's easy charm and sweet sexiness was a young man who battled insecurity over his songwriting abilities and reliance on Barry, who wrote or co-wrote (as well as produced) some of his biggest hits — even despite assurances from his eldest brother that he had a talent all his own. Says Hild: "Barry would tell him, 'We have three of us, but look at what you do. We can't do that.'" Andy also struggled in his personal life, especially after his breakup with Dallas actress Victoria Principal, with whom he fell head over heels in love in 1981. The two had a volatile relationship and he was devastated by their split. Andy "never really found the lasting relationship he was looking for," says the author.
Meanwhile, he was hospitalized multiple times for chest and stomach pains and his drug problems were becoming known in the industry. "I've been to hell and back I suppose, literally," he told Good Morning America in 1982. "I had a very bad nervous breakdown…. I had everything I wanted and I just blew it all up."
His family urged him to go to rehab. In 1985, Andy checked into the Betty Ford Center. Once out, he struggled to relaunch his career. His brothers asked him to come to Miami where they could work together and offer support. Eventually, Barry took Andy to London to put together a new record deal. Andy moved there in early 1988 to live in a carriage house on the property of his brother, Robin. "At first he was optimistic," says Hild. "He sounded hopeful and was telling friends he was looking forward to working again."
But what he didn't reveal was that his health had grown increasingly fragile.
On the evening of March 9, 1988, Andy collapsed in the cottage on Robin's estate and was hospitalized. He died the next morning of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle).
Decades later, Hild hopes the book, which has been optioned by Lisa Saltzman Groundbreaking Productions, will bring a reassessment of Andy Gibb's legacy. "Andy is often misunderstood. Because his decline was so heavily publicized his reputation unjustly suffered," he says. "He was a versatile performer who starred on Broadway and co-hosted Solid Gold on television. He deserves more attention for his own talent rather than just being the kid brother of the Bee Gees."
And it was a talent all his own. "There was something about Andy that drew people to him," says Hild. "People sensed his vulnerability and it came through in his music."
"Andy's downfall was as spectacular as his rise to the top," says author Matthew Hild, who interviewed friends and musicians who knew Andy from his earliest days
By Liz McNeil
June 29, 2022 12:00 PM Thirty-four years after his death on March 10, 1988 at age 30, a new biography Arrow Through the Heart re-examines the blazing talent and tragic end of Andy Gibb.
"Andy's downfall was as spectacular as his rise to the top," says author Matthew Hild, who interviewed friends and musicians who knew Andy from his earliest days back when he dreamt of becoming a Bee Gee and joining his brothers onstage.
The biography explores his deep insecurities, struggles with fame and descent into cocaine addiction, which ravaged his health. "Andy was beloved and yet it all went terribly wrong," says Hild. "But the seeds of that were planted long before, when still in his teens, he was thrust onto the world stage." He launched his solo career playing in bars in Ibiza and Australia as a teen and made a name for himself. By 1976, his eldest brother Barry Gibb, whom he idolized, told him he wanted to work together. And Hild describes how the two brothers reunited at Robert Stigwood's estate to collaborate on some "surefire hits" for his first album. "Andy could only sit and watch in astonishment as Barry wrote "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" on the spot in about 20 minutes," writes Hild.
The song spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, soon followed by "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" and "Shadow Dancing." Andy made pop history after his first three singles became No. 1 hits — turning him into a global superstar at age 19.
But behind Andy's easy charm and sweet sexiness was a young man who battled insecurity over his songwriting abilities and reliance on Barry, who wrote or co-wrote (as well as produced) some of his biggest hits — even despite assurances from his eldest brother that he had a talent all his own. Says Hild: "Barry would tell him, 'We have three of us, but look at what you do. We can't do that.'" Andy also struggled in his personal life, especially after his breakup with Dallas actress Victoria Principal, with whom he fell head over heels in love in 1981. The two had a volatile relationship and he was devastated by their split. Andy "never really found the lasting relationship he was looking for," says the author.
Meanwhile, he was hospitalized multiple times for chest and stomach pains and his drug problems were becoming known in the industry. "I've been to hell and back I suppose, literally," he told Good Morning America in 1982. "I had a very bad nervous breakdown…. I had everything I wanted and I just blew it all up."
His family urged him to go to rehab. In 1985, Andy checked into the Betty Ford Center. Once out, he struggled to relaunch his career. His brothers asked him to come to Miami where they could work together and offer support. Eventually, Barry took Andy to London to put together a new record deal. Andy moved there in early 1988 to live in a carriage house on the property of his brother, Robin. "At first he was optimistic," says Hild. "He sounded hopeful and was telling friends he was looking forward to working again."
But what he didn't reveal was that his health had grown increasingly fragile.
On the evening of March 9, 1988, Andy collapsed in the cottage on Robin's estate and was hospitalized. He died the next morning of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle).
Decades later, Hild hopes the book, which has been optioned by Lisa Saltzman Groundbreaking Productions, will bring a reassessment of Andy Gibb's legacy. "Andy is often misunderstood. Because his decline was so heavily publicized his reputation unjustly suffered," he says. "He was a versatile performer who starred on Broadway and co-hosted Solid Gold on television. He deserves more attention for his own talent rather than just being the kid brother of the Bee Gees."
And it was a talent all his own. "There was something about Andy that drew people to him," says Hild. "People sensed his vulnerability and it came through in his music."