DANNY GANS EXCLUSIVE: CLAMPDOWN AT THE CLARK COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE

Five weeks after the mysterious death of Las Vegas headliner Danny Gans, the Clark County Coroner's Office has suddenly clamped down on information regarding the toxicology reports that could finally explain what killed the musical impressionist.

The initial autopsy performed after the local superstar was found dead in his bed at the age of 52 proved inconclusive, and the coroner's office announced that tissue samples would be sent out for toxicology testing in order to determine how the heart of the seemingly robust entertainer suddenly gave out at the age of 52.

The coroner initially said the tests would take "several weeks" to come in. This was later amended to "up to 12 weeks," though everyone we spoke to at the coroner's office had insisted there was nothing unusual in the findings or the delay in receiving the toxicology test results.

Today, however, amid reports of steroid use and a report by a Gans' close friend, the beauty queen-turned-TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs that the tests had been completed and were now awaiting a summarization for public consumption, all conversation has ceased and a spokeswoman told a TabloidBaby.com journalist just minutes ago:

"I cant give out any information."

"At this point we're not allowed to give out any information."

When asked about the veracity of last night's report by Jacobs, the spokeswoman said:

"I don't know anything about that. I don't know who that is."

The Associated Press this morning paraphrases coroner Mike Murphy saying that toxicology and microscopic reports have been submitted to a medical examiner, who still hasn't determined a cause or manner of death:

"Murphy says that ruling will be checked before being made public.. (in) two or three weeks... Murphy notes that police suspect no foul play, and says his medical examination isn't taking longer than usual."

The coroner's spokeswoman did say that Murphy is now deciding how to break the news when he's ready to share it with the public. She denied that Jacobs is being given an inside track on the story or that Jacobs will be given the results first in order to break the news with her own spin, as she has done since Gan's manager informed her at 4 a.m. on May 1st, minutes after paramedics had arrived at Gans home, that her close personal friend had passed away.

"I don't even know who she is," the spokeswoman insisted.

Toxicology report "still pending" and still no answers in Danny Gans death mystery

Still no word on what caused the death of Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans. A spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner told Tabloid Baby minutes ago that the results of a toxicology report on the late musical impressionist are "still pending" and there is no expectation of when they might be released.

"They're tests," she said. "Standard tests, and the results usually don't come in for four to twelve weeks."

According to the official story (the Las Vegas news media has done nothing to investigate or supplement the brief police statement), the healthy, athletic, Born Again Christian died unexpectedly in his sleep on May 1st at age 52. An autopsy proved inconclusive.

Coroner still has no word on what killed Danny Gans as the Las Vegas death mystery enters its fourth week

Three weeks after Las Vegas headliner Danny Gans died mysteriously at his home in the middle of the night, there's still no word on what caused his death at the prime age of 52. Minutes ago, a spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner told Tabloid Baby that the toxicology report on Gans is still not ready for release, and will not be released today. We'd half-expected they'd sneak it out so any unpleasant surprises would be diluted through the holiday weekend when fewer people are paying attention, but all we know for sure is that coroner Mike Murphy did not stamp "RUSH" on that evidence envelope after an autopsy proved inconclusive.


So we enter Week Four of the Danny Gans mystery... to be picked up on Tuesday unless something breaks.

Check in here for the latest... and continue to send in your tips...

The show goes on: Whoopi Goldberg moves into Danny Gans' theatre tonight

The show goes on at the Encore Theatre. Whoopi Goldberg is moving in tonight.

Danny Gans is gone. The memorial service has taken place. And by the time the toxicology report is released by the Las Vegas County Coroner's Office, the results will be an afterthought, of little consequence to the town, an asterisk to a piece of history as relevant as the last casino to be imploded to make way for a skyscraper.

And that's how the power brokers and media elite want it.

And no moss is growing in the Steve Wynn's Encore Theatre, where Gans had begun a longterm, multimillion dollar engagement three months ago, and was struggling with disappointing ticket sales when he was found dead in his bed on May 1st.


Goldberg, the comedian, actress and talk show host will be the first headliner to perform in the Encore Theater since Gans' death.

She performs tonight and Saturday.

Said Goldberg:

“I got a call from Steve (Wynn), who said, ‘Do you want to do the Encore?’ and I said, Sure, yeah.'"

Locals play catch-up: Las Vegas newspaper slams Alicia Jacobs for her "reverse bias" in reporting the Danny Gans death case

"I've proven I have ethics,
that I'm a solid reporter
and have never misled viewers.
And I have integrity, which is everything.”

--Danny Gans' close friend, TV reporter Alicia Jacobs

Maybe we’re not crazy for covering the Danny Gans death mystery, after all. The day after the New York Times features the story at the top of its National section, the Las Vegas Review-Journal is starting to catch up. Eighteen days after we brought up the questionable relationship and conflicts of interest involving beauty queen-turned-reporter Alicia Jacobs, the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper has sicced a reporter to take a hard look at her questionable actions over the past few weeks.

In the column "Jacobs’ visibility triggers questions of perception," reporter Steve Bornfeld writes that “KVBC-TV, Channel 3 entertainment correspondent Alicia Jacobs has leapt from mere reporter to marquee attraction recently:

“In February, she toted a puppy to Danny Gans' Encore opening, a controversy climaxing when Bonnie Hunt dissed her on her daytime show. Then the Holly Madison Hoo-Ha… L'Affair Prejean… (and) finally, her closeness to Gans drew her into the story of his tragic death as family friend and source speculating on his health.”

Bornfeld quotes an ivory-tower Sig Gissler ethics type who criticize Jacobs’ spotlight-seeking tendencies, and himself mentions her “frequent bold-face mentions in Norm Clarke's R-J column.


Alicia Jacobs, we pointed out on May 3rd, was the first media figure to be informed of Gans’ death. Gans’ manager Chip Lightman phoned her at four a.m. (according to her and Lightman’s accounts), minutes after paramedics pronounced Gans dead in his home in a Las Vegas suburb. Jacobs spoke openly about her long friendship with Gans, but in the days and weeks to follow, began to orchestrate the coverage, generate the mythmaking. And in the case of her executive producer’s “husband,” was connected with an effort to stop this news organization’s investigation.

"There's a difference between
professional relationships
and personal friendships,
especially one as strongly and
publicly evident as Jacobs and Gans.
...It creates an appearance
of potential bias --
viewers/readers wondering if
a reporter-friend would conceal
unflattering or damaging information."

-- Las Vegas Review-Journal

Most disturbing was the fact that hours after she told Tabloid Baby in an exclusive interview that she had no idea what could have caused Gans' untimely death, she and Lightman went to columnist Norm Clarke to claim they knew he had high blood pressure and a family history of heart trouble.

Writes Bornfeld:

“Bias-in-reverse issues do likewise with Gans stories.

“'Don't I have a chance to do that story before I'm judged?’ Jacobs asks about any post-autopsy follow-ups. ‘Don't I deserve that opportunity?’

“Absolutely. But that misses the point. This isn't necessarily about the reality of the coverage by the end, but the skepticism viewers could bring going in.

“Reporters cultivate connections with sources that require a casual cordiality, but there's a difference between professional relationships and personal friendships, especially one as strongly and publicly evident as Jacobs and Gans. Many news outlets discourage it not because it's a guarantee of biased coverage, but because it creates an appearance of potential bias -- viewers/readers wondering if a reporter-friend would conceal unflattering or damaging information. What a shame to sow doubts over reporting that turns out perfectly balanced.

"'I've proven I have ethics, that I'm a solid reporter and have never misled viewers,’ Jacobs says. ‘And I have integrity, which is everything.’

“Jacobs' journalistic ethics and integrity are not questioned here. Her judgment is.”

Perhaps those among the Las Vegas media who called us “insane” or “crazy” for covering the Gans mystery while everyone else waits patiently—for weeks now— for a coroner’s toxicology report that will pass through many hands before reaching the public—will admit that maybe the Tabloid Baby team isn’t insane after all, but perhaps just quicker. Less lazy. With less concern for politesse. And fewer conflicts of interest.

Review-Journal editor Tom Mitchell blogged of his pride in the LVRJ coverage in the 48 hours following Gans’ death. He must have had second thoughts after seeing a comparison of his paper’s own scant bordering-on-coverup coverage with the work of hungry tabloid journos who know a great story when they see one.

Twelve weeks? Still no word on the cause of Danny Gans' death; If the Coroner takes a year, will the Las Vegas news media simply wait?

With a little more than twenty four hours until the scheduled start of the invitation-only memorial service for Danny Gans at the Encore Theatre on the Las Vegas Strip, the Clark County Coroner's office still has no answers as to the question of what killed the clean-living, Born Again Christian and seemingly healthy musical impressionist in the early morning hours of May 1st.

"No, the toxicology report is still pending," said another very helpful spokeswoman at the office a few minutes ago. "It usually takes four to twelve weeks for any case to be processed."

"Twelve weeks?"

"That's right."

"Is there any rush on this particular case because of who he is... or was?"

"Not that I know of."

The mention of "twelve weeks" is the first time we've heard anything beyond four weeks when it comes to an answer in the disquieting death of this very unique entertainment figure.

It also raises another question: If it takes a year for the toxicology report to be completed and released, will the Las Vegas news media wait that long before covering the story?

Coroner's office reports great interest in Danny Gans death mystery-- but not from the local Las Vegas news media

There is major interest-- and at least one offer of a bribe-- in finding out what caused the death of beloved Las Vegas Strip headliner Danny Gans-- though most all the interest and activity is from out-of-town journalists.

A charming and lovely spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner told Tabloid Baby minutes ago that the toxicology report that's expected to reveal what caused the supposedly healthy Christian ex-athlete's heart to stop in his sleep at the age of 52, three months into a long-term contract at Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, "is still pending."

Then she added: "Are you the one who offered me money yesterday?"

"No!"

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure," said TabloidBaby's reporter, phoning from Los Angeles. "Did someone offer you money for the report?"

"Somebody offered $500. I thought it was you because you said you were from Los Angeles and you spoke to me yesterday."

"Well, $500 is nothing. They should offer you more."

"That's illegal."

"Is there a lot of interest in this case?"

"Of course!" she replied.

"Well, people from Las Vegas tell us that no one cares."

"It's all from you guys. All you guys in Los Angeles. I don't know why."

"Well, Danny Gans is a very important and unique figure in entertainment."

"You guys must have more gossip to report."

The words of the coroner's delightful and helpful spokeswoman were a good reflection of the attitude among the Las Vegas media, which have ignored the story, or in at least one case, started up false rumours in an attempt to questions from being raised. In her moving tribute to her close platonic friend Danny Gans, beauty queen turned entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs also hailed the restraint of the local-- national -- news media-- and for not pursuing any of the down-and-dirty details of the shocking death of the supposedly healthy and vital 52-year-old athletic Christian family man:

"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..."

While a reading of our reportage in the case would show we are not making assumptions nor entertaining rumours, we applaud Alicia Jacobs' grace in acknowledging that in the end it will be impossible to cover up the cause of this untimely death.

We do take issue with her pride in the failure of the Las Vegas news media. We don't expect much from the local news stations like the one she works for, but when it comes to newspapers in their own death throes, we would expect that they'd dedicate their resources to the most important and talked-about story in town.

The fact that they did not is made obvious on the Danny Gans "Hot Topics" page on the Las Vegas Review-Journal website, which shows just what the paper has not investigated or told its readers, and how it has deliberately stifled interest in story that holds far more national appeal than they'd admit. The page lists the stories it's printed about Danny Gans since his death:

May 01: Las Vegas entertainer, 52, dies at home;
foul play not suspected
May 01: Entertainers, celebrities offer memories of Gans
May 02: 'HE CAN'T BE REPLACED'
May 02: DANNY GANS: CELEBRITY MEMORIES
May 02: NORM: Gans' final act leaves mystery
May 03: NORM: Gans has final word in life story
May 04: NORM: Gans friends share feelings, memories
May 06: NORM: Mourners gather for Gans' funeral
May 08: NORM: Gans service to be invitation only
(contains retraction of May 02 story)
May 08: EDITORIAL: Danny Gans
May 10: NORM: Heart problems in Gans' family
May 14: NORM: Insurance issue
May 14: MIKE WEATHERFORD: Gans was 'down in the dumps'
before death
May 14: Coroner awaits facts to reveal cause of Gans' death

"Norm" is show biz gossip columnist Norm Clarke. Pointedly, the paper did not list the May 8th Norm report that the Review-Journal's publisher made a deal to publish Gans' autobiography. It also fails to mention, nor did editors assign a news reporter to investigate, Norm's explosive May 14 report (we added it) that "No one's willing to discuss it, but there's an insurance issue involving Danny Gans and his deal with Encore at Wynn Las Vegas that suggests Gans had concerns about his health."

The Hot Topic also links to a blog from the Review-Journal editor Thomas Mithcell, posted on May 2nd, the day after Gans' death. Mitchell praises his newsteam for its handling of the breaking Gans story:

"...On Friday, I felt like a kid peeping through a knothole in a fence watching a well-oiled construction team go about its job of building an excellent newspaper.

"By the time I got online that morning there was already a message from business reporter Howard Stutz saying he had heard Danny Gans had died. By the time I called the breaking news desk, reporters had already been dispatched, photographers alerted, entertainment writer Mike Weatherford was driving in, columnist Norm Clarke had been notified, people were pulling files of stories, old photos and video clips...

"...On Saturday morning, even I was amazed. Laid out on broadsheet newsprint — sometimes called emphera — was a story about the death of one man, but also a glimpse of the spirit of humanity.

"Both the main story and Norm’s column used a story technique I call bookending. Each picked up a small element that spoke volumes about the occasion. The lede the story by Mike and Doug told about the Gans crew gathering for its traditional pre-show prayer, but without the star. The story ended: 'And they prayed. And they mourned.'

"Norm wrote about Gans, 52, ending his last show... with Bobby Darin’s favorite closer "The Curtain Falls."

"Darin died of heart failure at the age of 37...

"...I defy you to read either the story or the column without getting a bit misty.

"The whole package was impressive..."

Unfortunately, Norm's story about The Curtain Falls was untrue. He retracted it a week later. And though the editor was proud of his news team, a cursory look shows that they may be good at color, but didn't cover the story at all.

As for the Las Vegas Sun, the paper who got a Pulitzer from Sig Gissler? Forget about it.

Meanwhile, the coroner's perky spokeswoman says the Gans report will be released without fanfare or news conference, and will not be held up by the invitation-only memorial service on Thursday.

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

Two weeks after the death of Danny Gans, Las Vegas writer Steven Friess admits he knew of steroid rumors, confesses to covering up death theories

It's been two weeks since Las Vegas headliner Danny Gans was pronounced dead in his home of still undetermined causes.

From the first we heard the news of the passing of this great, historically significant and unique entertainer, the Tabloid Baby team has pursued the story day after day, while being struck by the fact that Las Vegas journos didn't find the story worth pursuing beyond adulatory quotes from the likes of Carrot Top (Nothing against Carrot Top. We think he's cool and he makes us laugh). The official excuse was that there was no news to report until the officials released the official cause of death with the official toxicology report, since the official autopsy could not determine what caused this ox of a man's heart to stop at the age of 52.

The first solid clue there was something amiss came when we were attacked, threatened and insulted online by a character named Steve Friess (above & left), a local booster and comp queen who authored a book called Gay Vegas and writes for a number of national publications.

Friess' online hissyfit when he learned of our dogged pursuit of the Gans story was puzzling, until it was revealed that his conflicts of interest only began in his bed, which he shares with Alicia Jacobs' executive producer, and that this self-promoting freelancer exists at the pleasure of the casino kings to whom the words "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" are more than a catchphrase.

Well what a difference two weeks, or as he writes on his blog, a "fortnight," makes.

Today, Friess continues his name-calling:

"Some gay-obsessed lunatics -- well, he refers to himself in the plural, anyhow -- believes anything said about the matter at this stage is thanks to his 'vigilance.' I've since realized that Internet nutjobs will say and do what they wish regardless of accuracy, propriety or basic common sense and never back down even in the face of contrary evidence or reasoning..."

Friess goes through his usual motions: attacking RadarOnline, The National Enquirer and Perez Hilton for covering a story that he could have made a bundle on had not his freelance status been so compromised; denying there's "public appetite" for the story; insisting that "short of those tests being completed, there's not a lot for legit reporters to do."

But then Steve Friess (above left) does something more. While apologizing on behalf of the ones who tried to obfuscate the facts, he admits that he realizes a coverup took place. And while making excuses all along the way, he even slips up and admits he was part of it.

Most spectacularly, Steve Friess admits he has been covering up the story of the real Danny Gans for at least, well, at least... a "fortnight":

"...Gans' suspected steroid use has been out there for years."

He also prints the alternative theories that are out there, though carefully labeling them "bizarro":

"Danny Gans was (a) actually killed in a DUI hit-and-run; (b) was having an affair with a local news personality who has tried to get Mayor Oscar Goodman and Wayne Newton* and Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce (!?!) to help cover up Gans' actual cause of death or (c) committed suicide because Steve Wynn booked Whoopi and Beyonce..."

Read Friess' entire column here.  It is an incredible document of self-righteousness, delusion and ass-covering.  Bottom line: Everything Steve Friess denied, he now says he knew all along.

Real Journos

Meanwhile, real journalists, like the ones at The Las Vegas Review-Journal, responded professionally to our prodding. Insiders tell us they feel bound by "rules," and are hamstrung to do much before an official report is released.

But they admit our prodding has had an effect.  Mike Weatherford's chilling account of Danny Gans' depression on his final day was published after sitting around for more than a week. And Norm Clarke's hastily-added one-liner begs a followup:

"No one's willing to discuss it, but there's an insurance issue involving Danny Gans and his deal with Encore at Wynn Las Vegas that suggests Gans had concerns about his health."

Sure, they say we at TabloidBaby.com seem to be "obsessed" or even "insane." And there are those who'd try to lump Tabloid Baby with the new generation of bloggers who conjure fantasy and post whatever comes into their heads.

They're wrong.

Danny Gans was an Old School entertainer.  We're Old School journos.

This is the Old School talking.

Decades of newspaper and broadcast journalism experience. Contributors on four continents. Experienced two-finger typists who've taught a generation of journos to follow a good story where it leads.

Murder?

The case of Danny Gans should have been, and should be covered from all its angles. That's how important it is, and as uncomfortable and ad-revenue endangering some of those angles may be, those are the angles that manage to be covered up as time passes.

Was Danny Gans murdered in his bed? We'd not pose that question, but thanks to the wait-and-see attitude of the Las Vegas media, that story is floating around the Internet as we type.

Will the toxicological report close the book on the Danny Gans case?

Probably not, no matter what is revealed, because the ones who should be on the front line of finding  the truth are content to wait for an official report from a controversial coroner's office.  It's these paid professionals, sitting around their news meetings debating whether a story's worthy of coverage, who've allowed the story to spin out of control.

A Review-Journal reporter said it himself when he wrote the lede to yesterday's coroner story that was copied somewhat inaccurately by every news station in town:

"The mystery of Danny Gans' death remains almost two weeks after he died in his home, leaving rumors to fill the information void."

Steve Friess confessed to it in his column today.


* The "Wayne Newton" reference, never made public, was part of a tip emailed to TabloidBaby.com offices. Friess' inclusion of it indicates that he was part of a deliberate effort to mislead journalists investigating the Gans story.
(Comp queen Steve Friess threatens us every time we post his picture, so we're forced to used fascimiles. Help us get it right by sending us a nice photo of Steve Friess today!)

Under scrutiny, Las Vegas Review-Journal publishes a third story on the Danny Gans case

After two weeks of patient waiting in the case of the unexplained premature death of Strip superstar Danny Gans, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has gone into Danny Gans overdrive this morning, adding a third story to today's online edition.

The deluge of Gans stories follows two weeks of scrutiny by TabloidBaby.com and our exclusive story posted last night that Review-Journal editors and reporters had good leads and opinions as to what killed Danny Gans at 52, but have failed to pursue or publish.

Now, along with a column addressing suicide rumors and another revealing an "insurance issue... that suggests Gans had concerns about his health," the Review-Journal site features "Coroner awaits facts to reveal cause of Gans' death":

"The mystery of Danny Gans' death remains almost two weeks after he died in his home, leaving rumors to fill the information void.

"Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy has heard the rumors, but doesn't care about rumors.

"He cares about facts, specifically those that are uncovered by the investigators and doctors in his office who are charged with determining the causes of death for the 52-year-old impressionist and thousands of others who die in the county each year.

"'It's kind of a total picture, and that's what we're trying to do, is put all the pieces of the puzzle together,' Murphy said.

"Gans died May 1 at his Henderson home... The coroner's office performed an autopsy the day he died but has not determined his cause of death. The office was awaiting the results of toxicology tests that were sent to an independent lab after the autopsy.

"Murphy wouldn't offer more details about the Gans case...

"The samples are sent to an independent lab for testing, which can take an estimated two to four weeks.

"Once the coroner's office receives the test results, at least two and as many as four forensic pathologists will review them along with the autopsy results and come up with a cause of death, he said.

"That process could take as little as a day, but it could take weeks, especially if more tests are required, he said.

"'The reality is we don't do it within 60 minutes with commercials,' Murphy said."

Results could come this week.

Mike Murphy is not a doctor. According to Steve Miller of Inside Vegas, "In 2003, before the Clark County Commission appointed him coroner, Michael Murphy was a police officer in Kansas City, Missouri and Boulder City, Nevada. He was also the Chief of Police in tiny Mesquite, Nevada, and once worked for the City of Las Vegas Enforcement Division."

Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke revealed last week that his paper had made a deal with Gans' family and manager to publish the Danny Gans autobiography.

EXCLUSIVE: Las Vegas Review-Journal won't publish what it knows about the death of Danny Gans

LAS VEGAS -- Call it "The Danny Gans death coverup."

Sources close to the newsroom of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tell TabloidBaby.com tonight that editors and reporters at the newspaper have information that leads them to believe they know what killed the superstar headliner at 52, but they refuse to report or investigate the case-- or even address the speculation and rumors that have spread through this city like bad luck since Gans's manager acknowledged them over the weekend.

"The scuttlebutt in the Review-Journal newsroom is that Danny Gans was addicted to painkillers. The editors and writers all know about it," says one source who has impeccable credentials in the Las Vegas media. "Why aren't they reporting it or investigating it? You know this town."


Gans, a former athlete who once seemed headed to a Major League Baseball career before injury cut it short, underwent shoulder surgery in 2006 and again in November 2008 after he closed his show at the Mirage Hotel and before he opened across the Strip at Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino three months ago.

"He had the shoulder operation and they gave him painkillers," says the source. "That's what they're talking about in the Review-Journal newsroom. Did that kill him? Who knows? His heart stopped. He could have had a heart condition he didn't know about."

"PRESCRIPTION BOTTLES"

A separate source tells TabloidBaby.com that paramedics who arrived to find Gans dead in his bedroom in the early hours of May 1st also "found numerous prescription bottles around the bed."

An autopsy did not nail down the cause of Gans' death. Results of toxicology testing by the Clark County Coroner's Office are expected as early as this week.


The speculation and rumors about why the apparently healthy, vital and clean-living musical impressionist died so young and unexpectedly began within hours of the announcement of his death. The Las Vegas news media, however, did not go beyond tributes and spiritual anecdotes about the Born Again Christian entertainer. There was no effort to interview paramedics or go beyond the "official" statements of Gans' boss Steve Wynn, his manager Chip Lightman and longtime friend, KVBC-TV gossip reporter Alicia Jacobs.

None offered any clue as to what could have led to Gans' death.

"ALL THE RUMORS"

It was only after Tabloid Baby interviewed Jacobs on Friday about the speculation that she and Lightman went to Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke to tell him that they knew Gans had been dealing for years with high blood pressure and a family history of heart disease.

It was another line in Saturday's Internet exclusive that resonated most through Las Vegas:

"Lightman acknowledged he has heard 'all the rumors,' but said he is not concerned about what might surface in toxicology tests that could take several weeks before the Clark County Coroner's office releases the results..."

Norm Clarke did not identify "all the rumors."

"It was the dumbest thing," says the source. "No one in this town mentioned the rumors about Danny's death, and it would have stayed quiet if it wasn't for Chip Lightman. He told Norm Clarke he'd 'heard all the rumors.' Next thing the whole town is talking and looking at Danny in a different way."

CLICK HERE TO READ RAY RICHMOND'S COLUMN
ON TABLOIDBABY.COM'S COVERAGE OF THE
DANNY GANS DEATH MYSTERY

Why was Danny Gans planning his obituary?

"When I die and you

do my obituary piece,

it will be

the most brilliant work

of your career."

--what Alicia Jacobs says

Danny Gans told her

a week before his death

With Tabloid Baby's ten days of investigation and muckraking fulfilling its goal of getting the national news media to take notice of and dedicate their extensive resources to the Danny Gans death mystery, the press corps and media elite in Gans' Las Vegas kingdom have gone back into business-as-usual mode, as if the uproar of the past 72 hours never took place at all.

The local newspapers, The Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun, weathered the eruption and have offered no new stories on what may have led to to Gan's untimely death at 52. Local television news never moved beyond the headline that "speculation swirls," and, most intriguingly, Steve Friess, author of Gay Vegas and Las Vegas-based national freelancer (above right-- we have to run an approximation because he threatens legal action every time we run his photo), has returned to his blog with no mention of the weekend fracas.

While the locals wait for the results if the toxicology report from the Clark County Coroner;s Office (which could come this week), investigators and authors will start from scratch in the investigation, looking back far beyond the sketchy 24-hour timeline leading ti the seemingly healthy showman to die in his sleep on May 1st.

As they do, an overshadowed anecdote that Norm Clarke of the Review-Journal has written twice now is taking on new significance. The columnist wrote that a week before Gans died, he shared a death premonition with his friend, local TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs:

"They were having a telephone conversation about his new music video 'What a Wonderful World' being produced by Hollywood director Brett Ratner. Jacobs said she wanted to interview him about it, that it would be 'a fun story.'"

"Gans then stunned her with a comment that came out of left field.

"He said, 'When I die and you do my obituary piece, it will be the most brilliant work of your career.'"

Is this more mythmaking on the part of the Vegas media elite (Norm was forced to retract a story that Danny Gans ditched his usual closing numbers at his final show for an eerily prescient Bobby Darin song at his final show-- people who were in the audience were refuting the story in our comment sections)?

Or did Danny Gans have some reason to be thinking about his death-- or to believe his own death was near?

Developing...

(NOTE: In the Vegas journo tradition of writing a story whose real meaning must be hidden between the lines, check out Steve Friess' blog post entitled A Sad Morning Chat. Friess, who in an email to us Monday acknowledged his role in helping attract media attention to the story and congratulated us for our work ("Had I not been so unwise as to actually write about you, nobody would ever know who you are. So, sure, congrats on that"), writes of the death of his "industry" and hints at the power wielded over him by a certain casino owner connected to Danny Gans (you can do the work and figure out who that might be.)

Finally, the Danny Gans mystery is on the national Radar

Hours after the local Las Vegas news media finally took its first baby steps toward investigating the events surrounding the unexplained death of local headliner Danny Gans at 52, the national news media has followed TabloidBaby.com's lead in trying to find answers to the mystery.

Radar Online, the Internet arm of The National Enquirer, weighs in this afternoon with an exclusive report that's bound to be the first of many:

EXCLUSIVE: Danny Gans Autopsy “Inconclusive”

"Danny Gans, the renowned Las Vegas showman, died suddenly in his sleep on May 1 and the cause of the 52-year old’s death was unknown though he reportedly had trouble breathing. A family member told RadarOnline.com exclusively that the mystery surrounding Gans’ death continues after the autopsy was deemed 'inconclusive.'

“'Danny had high blood pressure along with a history of heart disease in his family,' the source added. The coroner’s office declined to comment when contacted. The autopsy report is expected to be released in the coming week after the toxicology tests are completed..."

This afternoon, Tabloid Baby editor Burt Kearns supported the competition enthusiastically. "We're glad the Radar and Enquirer team is on the case," he said. "We knew our colleagues and mates would get on board this story once they saw what we were up against."

The Radar Online report follows a column by Hollywood columnist Ray Richmond, supporting Tabloid Baby's exclusive reportage on the case in the face of attacks and threats from members of the Las Vegas news media.

"It's ironic," Kearns added. "The same folks who've been trying to stop us from getting to the bottom of the Danny Gans case are bound to be the same ones who'll be selling their stories and information behind the scenes."