LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Las Vegas entertainer Danny Gans died unexpectedly early Friday. He was 52.
The famous impressionist was found dead at his home in Henderson, Nev. His cause of death has yet to be determined.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Gans’ wife, Julie, woke up in the middle of the night and noticed that her husband wasn’t breathing. She called for help but paramedics were unable to revive the Vegas legend after arriving at the couple’s home.
The star’s manager, Chip Lightman, said he last spoke with Gans on Thursday.
“Everything seemed fine,” he told the paper. “The only difference was, on his day off, he would usually run errands and stuff, and he was exhausted. He hadn’t slept well the night before. He laid down in the late afternoon.”
Gans was born in Los Angeles and raised in nearby Torrance, Calif. After his minor league baseball career fizzled out, Gans began honing his craft for many years on the corporate circuit. He eventually landed a three-month gig at the Stratosphere Hotel in May 1996. It would prove to be the beginning of a wildly successful Vegas run, which also included shows at the Mirage Hotel and the Encore Theater at Steve Wynn’s Wynn Las Vegas Hotel.
Perhaps best known for his impersonation of George Burns, Gans was voted Las Vegas “Entertainer of the Year” for 11 consecutive years. His is also known to have sold more tickets on the Strip than the Rat Pack or Elvis Presley.
“Danny Gans will not only be remembered as a Las Vegas entertainer, but as a man who loved his family, loved God and loved the city of Las Vegas,” said Lightman. “I will truly miss him.”
“It’s the equivalent of a Sammy Davis Jr. Somebody who’s multitalented. He can’t be replaced,” said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. “There are some people whose memory and reputations will live on, and Danny was one of those people.”
Gans is survived by his wife and three children – Amy, Andrew and Emily.
