John Gibson | |
|---|---|
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| Born | July 15, 1948 Michigan, US |
| Died | May 17, 1986(1986-05-17) (aged 37) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1975–1986 |
| Partner | Vanna White (1981-1986) |
John Gibson (July 15, 1948 – May 17, 1986) was an American actor, model, and dancer, known forThe Warriors,The Young and the Restless,One Life to Live. and his national profile as aChippendales dancer.
He was engaged to television personalityVanna White at the time of his death in a plane crash on May 17, 1986.
Born nearDetroit, in 1948, Gibson attendedNorthville High School and earned a degree from theUniversity of Michigan before marrying his college girlfriend.[1][2] Feeling constrained and listless working at his father's used car lot, Gibson left both the job and marriage and, following a year as a self-described "ski bum" inAspen, Colorado, he moved toWest Palm Beach, Florida, where he worked as a carpenter, waiter and pursued a real estate license.[3][4]
While in Florida, Gibson sent photos of himself to the newly introducedPlaygirl magazine for consideration. The magazine flew him to California for a shoot and selected him to be the magazine's April 1975centerfold,[5] a move he credits with "[turning] my life around" and giving shape to a new career path, rooted in his looks and personality.[6] Gibson moved toLos Angeles, California, and began working as a model for catalogs, advertisements, and in small roles in film and television.[6][7]
Gibson came to international prominence in 1980 as one of the highest-profile members of theChippendales male exotic dance troupe.[8] At the height of the group's fame, Gibson made talk show and personal appearances on behalf of the troupe, appeared regularly in the press, and his name and likeness were featured on posters, calendars, board games, and other merchandise sold worldwide. In 1982, he was selected as the cover model for the troupe's popular annual calendar, embarking on another national press tour in support of the troupe.
Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, Gibson began taking acting classes and, in 1979, he was cast as one of the "baseball furies" in the action thriller filmThe Warriors. Gibson continued to act, primarily in television, appearing onThree's Company,Eight is Enough, andCHiPS, often in roles playing on his perceived attractiveness.
In 1981, he was cast as "Jerry 'Cash' Cashman," on the daytime soap operaThe Young and the Restless,[8] a role he played for more than a year. Cashman owned a gentleman's club on the show and occasionally performed himself, something the producers tailored to Gibson's own background. In 1983, he returned to daytime television, playing "Tom 'Hawk' Haney" onOne Life to Live[7] and appeared onThe Fall Guy. Gibson's final acting appearance prior to his death was in 1984'sThe Cartier Affair withDavid Hasselhoff andJoan Collins.[6]
Gibson's long relationship with, and engagement to, model andWheel of Fortune hostessVanna White made him a regular fixture in tabloids and celebrity media journalism of the day.[9]
This led to intense media attention after his death, causing a grieving White, on a leave of absence from the show, to publicly condemn tabloid publications for their intrusive and sensationalized coverage of the tragedy.[10][11] White has since cited her relationship with Gibson, and the support she received from fans in the wake of his death, as a particularly formative time in her life and career, directly impacting her perspective on both.[12][13][14]
Gibson died in a plane crash on May 17, 1986, nearVan Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, California. He was piloting a rentedSocata Trinidad TB20 plane when it crashed and caught fire after hitting a curb on Roscoe Boulevard.[15]National Transportation Safety Board officials later attributed the crash toturbulence, finding Gibson's plane struck the prop wash from aC-130 military transport plane landing just ahead of him.[16]
The crash, one of two fatal incidents near the airport that weekend, left Gibson's body so severely burned that identification required dental X-ray comparison.[15]