Alicia Jacobs' poignant farewell to her friend Danny Gans

"With a few exceptions, I am very proud
of the local & national media...
they have given Danny’s family & friends
some time to try & catch our collective breath.
Soon enough, we will have the answers.
Until that time, it seems almost tabloid-like
to make assumptions & entertain rumors."
-- Alicia Jacobs

Alicia Jacobs, Danny Gans' longtime close personal friend and first member of the media to be notified of Gans' sudden, unexpected death at the age of 52, has posted a lengthy, heartfelt and touching farewell to the Las Vegas superstar.

The beauty queen-turned-entertainemtn reporter for KVBC-TV news and quirky Vegas personality writes on her Stage 3 blogsite that "I’ve attempted to write this post often over the past 2 weeks, but each time I became too emotional & realized I was simply not in the right mindset to do justice to someone who meant a great deal to me & who deserves to have me at my best.

"This has been an absolutely horrible time for me. I continue to walk around in complete shock. I vacillate between grief & disbelief & sometimes I experience both at the same time."

Jacobs' post takes pains to explain the platonic nature of her 13-year relationship with the musical impressionist:

"From the day I met Danny 13 years ago, he would constantly & lovingly beam when he spoke of Amy, Andrew, & Emily...& that never changed... He was also so impressed with how strong a woman his wife Julie is. What mattered most to Danny was his family.

"Danny & I hit it off from the moment we met. We had a great deal in common, plus we lived in the same neighborhood. We were both into fitness; he got me hooked on Karate, (he was a big shot Black Belt, while I proudly sported my Green Belt,) we are both a bit on the Type A side, with a tiny bit of OCD...

"...We would often share fitness tips while chowing down on Thai food & we both LOVE Jelly Belly's. He would also offer me advice on my work & career...everything from camera angles I should suggest to our directors, to great editing ideas & suggestions for my own performance...& he was always right!

"Most people know how spiritual Danny was & he was greatly responsible for bringing religion into my life. 10 years ago, I lost a dear friend of mine... From the moment she was diagnosed until months after she was gone, Danny was there for me...

"Danny was there for me again last year when my beloved dog, Cuddles, passed away..."

"It is my feeling that barring
something completely bizarre,
the story of Danny Gans has been told.
His cause of death will be nothing more
than a footnote on his Wikipedia page.
The story of Danny Gans’ unlikely career
& enormous success, against most odds,
is far more interesting & inspiring
than a coroner's report."

Some of what Alicia Jacobs writes she's said before, in much the same words, and in passages like the one in which she repeats the anecdote about her father coming back from the brink of death when Danny Gans passed, serve to bolster the legend of the spiritual, saintly Danny Gans, an image sure to be projected in the autobiography she says Gans completed the day before he died.

"We still don’t know why we lost Danny so soon in life, & it’s human nature to desire those answers. With a few exceptions, I am very proud of the local & national media...they have given Danny’s family & friends some time to try & catch our collective breath. Soon enough, we will have the answers. Until that time, it seems almost tabloid-like to make assumptions & entertain rumors. (believe me, I think I’ve heard just about all of them.) It is my feeling that barring something completely bizarre, the story of Danny Gans has been told. His cause of death will be nothing more than a footnote on his Wikipedia page.

"The story of Danny Gans’ unlikely career & enormous success, against most odds, is far more interesting & inspiring than a coroner's report.

"This Thursday about 1500 of us will gather in Danny’s beautiful theatre at ENCORE. We will arrive, much the same as we did this past February 6th...Danny’s opening night at ENCORE. For the most part, it will be the same people in those seats. But that’s all that will be the same. Instead of the excitement & anticipation we all felt that night awaiting Danny’s thrilling on-stage entrance, I suspect we will have little to say beyond, 'how can this be?' 'how can he really be gone?' We will watch the stage that Danny ran onto & brought to life every night. We will see his image projected onto screens, we will hear his voice, as well as many of the other voices that were always along for the ride. We will hear his music. But, we won’t hear Danny’s inside jokes with his band, the tears we shed won’t be because of his poignant 'ON GOLDEN POND,' bit, and we won’t witness Danny’s customary 3 standing ovations.

'And, this time, when 'The Curtain Falls,' I suppose I’m expected to do the impossible....say goodbye."

Alicia Jacobs photo