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 One of Las Vegas’ most popular entertainers, who also happened to be a born-again Christian and devoted family man, passed away this month.
Danny Gans, age 52, unexpectedly died in his sleep at his Henderson, Nevada, home.
Gans was a vocal impressionist, billed as “the man of many voices” (200 to be exact). And, ladies and gentlemen, he was the best of the best at his art.
He could sing like Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Anita Baker. He could do stand-up comedy impersonating George Burns, Larry the Cable Guy, Rocky Balboa, Jerry Lewis, and that Vegas staple — Elvis Presley. He could even dance like Michael Jackson. Even though Baby Boomers would be the age group that would most identify with his old-school brand of humor, he was the consummate crowd-pleaser. There was something, in his largely wholesome 90-minute, one-man nightly show, that was guaranteed to bring a smile to just about everybody’s face from commoner to Hollywood royalty.
If you never saw him in action at a casino hotel, his website offers video clips of his performances. Just as enthralling is the interview he did on “Larry King Live” shortly before his death. During the question and answer exchange, Gans imitated King himself and talked about the power of prayer. Gans also explained why he loved working as an entertainer in a city that allowed him the opportunity to go home every night to be with his wife and kids.
Given the other talented headliners that are synonymous with the Strip, like Celine Dion, Wayne Newton, and the Blue Man Group, it was a huge compliment that Gans was voted “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year” eleven years in a row. Tickets for his sold-out show at the Mirage started at about $100. Earlier this year, Gans had switched to plusher digs at the Encore Theater (seating capacity: 1500), which is part of the Wynn Resorts. Not surprisingly, the success made him wealthy, but it also made him generous, Gans had raised two million dollars for local charities.
Benny Perez, pastor of The Church at South Las Vegas, told KVBC-TV, an NBC-affiliate, how this unusual showman managed to keep it together in a place that is notoriously nicknamed “Sin City”:
"Danny Gans loved God; number two; Danny Gans loved his family; and number three; Danny Gans loved life. And if we could just do those three basic things - all of us love God, love families, our friends, our people around us, and love life - I think Las Vegas and the world would be left a little bit better. And that's the message of Danny Gans."
The athletic Gans never intended to be a variety entertainer. Since age seven, Gans’ dream was to play major league baseball, but an Achilles tendon injury during his time in the minor leagues ended that pursuit. Gans told Bonnie Hunt, who hosts a daytime talk show, that while he was recovering in the hospital from his life-altering accident, his roommate, a man ill with cancer, gave him an odd message: “I know why I’m here right now. I’m going to be fine. I’m here for you. I’m your messenger, and my message to you is God has something better for you. I don’t know what that is, but it’s going to make you happier than baseball.”
Two months after that conversation, the twenty-something Gans was performing stand-up comedy; his hospital roommate/messenger was eventually healed from cancer; and the rest, as they say, is history.
Ironically, Gans closed his very last show with a song he did not typically sing. It was Bobby Darin’s “The Curtain Falls.”
Danny Gans is survived by his wife of twenty-eight years, Julie, and his three children, Amy, Andrew, and Emily, and, of course, his unique legacy.
Isabel Lyman holds a doctorate in social science and is the author of The Homeschooling Revolution (2000).
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