March 5, 2015
As a writer, I ask quite a few questions, so here goes. What words come to mind when you hear the name Andy Gibb? What do you think? The words I hear most often are sweet, adorable, talented, sexy and great voice. Ok, so now flick a switch in your head and answer this question. What do you FEEL when you hear Andy’s name? That’s a whole different ball game. Some of the answers repeated to me are loss, pain, sadness and the ever-present “grief”.
From my heart, I have to say that even though I didn’t know Andy Gibb, I wanted to protect him. I wish I could have been his guardian angel, someone he could lean on. He was a gentle man humbled by his success, an insecure artist swimming in a sea of narcissistic rock stars.
The heartache of Andy’s loss left a chasm in the Gibb family and in the hearts of fans in every corner of the world. The loss shattered his brothers, especially Barry, and had everyone shaking their heads about what could or should have been done to save him. The question is always present, but there is only one feasible answer to this inquiry, NOTHING. As would happen later with Maurice and Robin, there was a reason Andy had to depart. It was his time to go elsewhere. Young people aren’t immune to death and NO, it’s not fair. Sometimes there’s no “getting over it” and sometimes tears come, but that’s how the grieving process works.
As we celebrate the anniversary of Andy’s birth and reflect on his death, we can use our memory banks to cheer us. For everyone who had the pleasure of seeing Andy perform in the flesh, remember how awestruck you were as you listened to him sing. Think of the excitement in the theater, the fun you had with your friends and family sharing the experience and how long it took for you to stop talking about the concert. (Some of you, no doubt, still talk about those moments of joy, and many have repeated stories to me in great detail). For those of you who did not see him, or for newer generations, play his music on You Tube and watch him. Order “Shadow Dancing”, “Flowing Rivers” and “The Greatest Hits” CD’s and play them until they wear out. You will love every second and will likely wind up singing aloud to each song.
Remembering my treasured visit in LA last June 3 as I sat on Andy’s bench in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (see story June, 2014, Visiting Andy, on this blog), I am reminded of the peaceful aura that hovered over me, the beauty that surrounded me, and the feeling that Andy was very much a part of the emotion of the moment. I was absorbing his sweetness and felt his presence and somehow I knew that he was OK. His spiritual energy was there with me.
Andy will always be a Gibb, will always be remembered as a gifted talent and will always be young and beautiful. Like his three brothers, he stands on his own as a one-of-a-kind special star whose contribution to the world of music is stellar and unique. Better still, he stands as a gentle, vulnerable man we will think of with hearts overflowing with affection.
For me, I’m getting out my vinyl; and for the thousandth time, I will be grooving in the kitchen with my kids to “Shadow Dancing”. Oh, Andy! “Baby, you do it right”. We love you always……and thank you.
MoRobinBarryStories 
I wasn’t born yet when Andy died but I agree. Of course he was really cute and I like his singing voice a lot. When I hear Andy’s name I definitely feel sad as he is no longer with us. He may be needed somewhere else but to me it is just a grave sin that he died so young. I guess there’s no stopping young people from dying when it’s their time but it still hurts (and he’s not even my brother). I just wish he could’ve been able to live past age 30. It’s just hard to imagine anyone dying at age 30 or maybe its hard to imagine that Andy really did die at that age since he looks so young and cute. If anything at 30 he looked like he was in his late twenties (but that’s just me) I’m sure he would’ve looked gorgeous if he had made it to age 40 and 50. “Arrow Through the Heart” is literally painful to listen to (even if it is a good song) since one of the lyrics is “I’m too young to die” and if I remember correctly that song was officially released years after his death. I think it was written for a comeback album that never happened. I guess I’m thinking too much about the “what could have been” which is kind of silly, and the fact that in reality we are living in a world without Andy on earth just hurts so much. I guess I just never imagined in my wildest dreams that Barry would be the last Gibb standing. I really didn’t mean to make this comment so depressing. It just happened and I didn’t mean for this comment to turn out so long either. I don’t know a whole lot about Andy outside of his music but he just seemed like such a sweetheart. I will love him and his three brothers for as long as I live.
Shana,
What lovely comments. Thanks for reading the story…glad you read it and sent a message.
I too didn’t know Andy till I joined the GSI group, but just by watching videos and photos of him I feel so sad that he is no longer with us. My heart goes out to Barry. Be strong and go on dear Barry. We love you so much 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
i choose to celebrate Andy every time I hear his voice. He brought me great joy and happiness when he walked this earth, and like you, Anne, I paid my respects last June. I cherish the memory of the lone concert I attended and pray he now knows what he meant to so many of us. Thanks for a beautiful post.
Thanks for that, Barbara. Glad you got to be at Andy’s resting place. He is above us all and happy as a clam, with his brothers and father, I’m sure.
Well said, love it, thank you !!
Glad you enjoyed the story, Erika. Thank you. Annie
“I wanted to protect him”
EXACTLY!!!!!
Thanks, Angela, for the comment. I plan to repost this story for Andy’s birthday. I think I’ll make it an annual post. Still miss him every day.