Daniel Davies Gans
(October 25, 1956 – May 1, 2009) [1] was an American singer and comedian who found success as a vocal impressionist.
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DANNY GANS TICKETS
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Career
Gans was a headliner on the
Las Vegas Strip and the surrounding area for many years, where he was billed as "The Man of Many Voices." He had been named
Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year and his production had also been awarded Show of the Year. As these awards would indicate, his fame was largely centered in Las Vegas.
[2]
At one time, Gans was a professional
baseball player. He was drafted by the
Chicago White Sox after being named an
All-America at
California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo where he was a Physical Education major. It was at Cal Poly that he met his wife, Julie.
[3] Later, he held a small role as a third baseman in the film
Bull Durham
. After an injury ended his sporting career — a player's
cleats tore his
Achilles tendon while he was
fielding a
ground ball — Gans turned to the entertainment industry. Gans began his career on the road, performing mostly at private corporate functions. In 1992, he played
Dean Martin in the CBS miniseries
Sinatra
.
In 1995, he moved to
Broadway to perform a well-received one-man show, but later decided to move to Las Vegas to reduce time away from his family, who lived in
Los Angeles.
Gans started his Las Vegas stay at the
Stratosphere Hotel in 1996. He moved to the
Rio Hotel shortly thereafter and then on to
The Mirage in 2000.
[4] Gans was a permanent performer at The Mirage, where the
Danny Gans Theatre
was built for him.
In February 2009, Gans changed venues again and performed at
Encore, the sister property to
Wynn Las Vegas.
[5] "The marquee on Las Vegas Strip bearing his image is the largest freestanding marquee in the world."
[6]
His inaugural album, produced by
Michael Omartian, was cross-marketed in both the
pop and Christian music genres and sold in both mainstream and Christian music outlets in much the same manner as
Amy Grant.
In April 2007, a delegation of
Kentucky Colonels went to Las Vegas and presented him with the Kentucky Colonel award. At the time of his death he was grossing $18 million a year.
[
]
Gans died on May 1, 2009, at his posh mansion in the Roma Hills Estates in Henderson, Nevada. [7] The cause of death was a drug toxicity caused by the combination of hydromorphone (an opiate, commonly marketed under the name Dilaudid) and a pre-existing heart condition. [8] It was determined that it was drug abuse related death.
Gans had three children, Andrew, Amy and Emily.[
]
Film history
Gans had been noted many times for his role in Bull Durham
, although his part in the movie was ultimately downsized. He used this role as an addition to his resume, even going on Roy Firestone's show and promoting the role while holding a picture of himself from the movie to prove that he was in fact in it.
Danny Gans played Scott Babylon in the TV series Duet
from 1987-1989, and reprised his role in the TV series Open House
from 1989-1990. He also played a Wayne Newton impersonator on an episode of Roseanne
when they went to Las Vegas for the wedding of Arnie and Nancy.
Gans was mentioned several times but did not appear in an episode of the TV series Gary Unmarried
, filmed before his death, but aired just afterwards on May 6, 2009. When aired, the episode was accompanied by an "In Memory Of" end-credit dedicated to Gans.
References
- Danny Gans, Impressionist, Dies at 52
- Danny Gans On His Own Mortality And Legacy
- Danny Gans Has Faith, Fame
- BIOGRAPHY
- Danny Gans to star in the new Encore theatre in 2009, expired link
- Danny Gans, Vegas Legend, Has Died
- Vegas’s Man of Many Voices Falls Silent
- Drug toxicity cited in death of Las Vegas' Danny Gans