Keepers of Danny Gans' secrets gather

The Las Vegas Strip did not dim its lights to mark the first anniversary of the passing of the man who was the entertainment and gambling mecca's greatest homegrown superstar, but there were some who took time to remember the life and legacy of Danny Gans.

Norm Clarke tells us that friends and colleagues of the late musical impressionist gathered yesterday afternoon at his grave at Palm Memorial Park on Eastern Avenue. About a dozen people attended the 2 p.m. tribute, and it is that story-shifting inner circle, the ones who hold the secrets of his life and death, whose names stand out. Among them:

Chip Lightman, his longtime manager who says he received a phone call from Gans' wife Julie in the early hours of May 1, 2009, telling him that Gans had died hours earlier;

...Alicia Jacobs, the beauty queen-turned-television entertainment reporter for local station KVBC-TV, who touted her close friendship with Gans and was the first person Lightman notified of the death that morning (around the same time that paramedics arrived at Gans' Henderson estate);


...R.G. Ryan, who collaborated on Gans' posthumous autobiography, The Voices In My Head, and who's refused to comment on the controversy regarding the timeline of Gans' demise or the drug use that led to it; his assistants and members of his band and crew.


Gans' wife and family packed up and moved from Las Vegas to La Cañada Flintridge, California, outside Los Angeles shortly after his death, which occurred about three months after he opened at Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino.

Exclusive! The first major review of the Danny Gans autobiography, The Voices In My Head

It took Amazon.com more than a month to deliver and it took us less than a day to read The Voices In My Head, the Danny Gans autobiography that was, as his co-author insists, completed the day before the Las Vegas headliner died unexpectedly and tragically at age 52 on May 1st. The book could have used another draft. The memoirs of this most unique entertainer, whose story encompassed the American pastime, Hollywood, Las Vegas, old school entertainment, standup comedy, corporate culture, Broadway and evangelical Christianity, glides over each aspect of this complicated life the same way Danny Gans would switch from voice to voice in his show: rarely illuminating, never explaining, ultimately leaving the reader wanting more-- and not in a good way. This was a book we were looking forward to reading. The early preview of the prologue promised a tale of severe dysfunction and disappointment, with a father pushing his young son toward the professional baseball career that was denied him (and that we as readers knew would also be denied the son), resulting in a single-minded charge for redemption that would be doomed by the injuries, both physical and psychic, suffered along the way. Sometimes there are hints bubbling between the lines, as when Gans describes his demanding father: “To make things worse, he was an alcoholic, and when he was on one of his drinking binges, there was nothing I could do to please him.” Yet, the line is followed by a throwaway: “Still, there was no doubt in my mind that he loved me.” And the story moves on from there, leaving the reader to hope that the son was getting revenge decades later when, headlining on the Vegas Strip in his own theatre, he had the old man dance like a monkey in the aisles to the song, Macho Man. But throughout, Danny Gans’ autobiography leaves it to the reader to fill in the spaces. All but the smooth opaque surface of the mysterious Gans are left out. The details of life on the road as baseball player, his difficulties with Hollywood, how he dealt with the extreme Christianity of his bride-to-be and her parents, the births of his children, why he sabotaged his shot at a mainstream recording career by deciding to record a “Christian” album, are among the biographical byways left untraveled. This is a 226-page book whose first 97 pages are dedicated to baseball. And for all the talk of Gans’ Christianity and his habit of stepping off to pray with his wife before making any major decision, Gans’ life appears to be dedicated more to the worship of self than any higher power. The reader gets no explanation of when the evangelical fervor took over his life, or whether it was there to begin with. Woody Allen's joke Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Mike Weatherford gave the book the biggest shot of local publicity when he made an impassioned rebuttal to a chapter in which he says he was depicted as a sleazy Vegas writer. He shouldn’t have bothered. While he accused coauthor RG Ryan of being “sloppy” for misspelling the name of local critic Mike Paskevich, a read of the entire book shows that allegiance to the facts was never Gans’ intention. The Woody Allen-style baseball joke that Gans takes credit for coming up with (“You know, if he stole second base would he feel so guilty he’d want to put it back?”) is, in reality, an actual Woody Allen joke we remember from his comedy albums: ''If you've never seen neurotics play softball, it's very funny. I used to steal second base and feel guilty and go back.” Any fact-checker could have surfed to Google and pulled up Vincent Canby’s review of Gans’ one-man Broadway show, which the book quotes as: “There’s no plot, no storyline, the comedy isn’t angry enough. And although the audience stood five times, he belongs in Vegas… not on Broadway!” Canby’s review, published Thursday, November 9, 1995, is easily accessible online and does not resemble the encapsulation: “Most of the impressions are short, lasting seconds only. The jokes are just racy enough to amuse Aunt Jenny without disgusting her … Mr. Gans tries to make up in tirelessness what he lacks in talent, spontaneity and decisive point of view… “No glitzy Las Vegas nonsense here. This is show biz as it might be ordered by a cost-conscious, buttoned-down, out-of-its-depth executive committee.” Did Danny Gans' baseball dream really end the way he book depicts? Did he really wind up sharing a hospital room with a messenger from God who was miraculously healed of cancer? Was there ever a strip club next door to the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip? Did he really have nothing to do with the exorbitant ticket prices for his show at the Rio? Did he really write that Woody Allen joke? It doesn’t matter. Just as it doesn’t matter what the last song Danny Gans really sang in his last show, or whether the book really was completed hours before he died. Questions What matters is that The Voices In My Head leaves too many questions about Danny Gans. Among them: Was he born a Jew? Why is his mother barely mentioned in the chapters on his childhood? What was his secret to getting multiple standing ovations in every show? Why did the child of show business so hate Hollywood? Why did he wear the red socks and black-and-white shoes? How did he treat his own son differently than his own father treated him, as the boy followed the Gans baseball dream? Why did his wife, alone, insist on calling him ‘Daniel’? Did he turn to painkillers after his excruciating sports injuries and car accident? Did he ever have to fight addiction? The list goes on. The book is a fascinating saga of disappointment, nonetheless, and there are many aspects of Danny Gans we learn. Sammy Davis, Jr. was his role model. Danny Thomas was his mentor. Steve Rossi gave him his break in Las Vegas. The scene in which he proposes to his wife in a Mexican restaurant is truly touching and cinematic. And the final chapters of the book begin to generate real tension as Gans and his manager maneuver to get the ultimate gig on the Strip. Glory and Pain The penultimate chapter, The Glory and The Pain, comes closest to explaining the pain that would have led to the drug use that was long-rumoured and ultimately killed him. But then it all slams to a sudden end—as did Gans’ life. In the end, it's not the Christian or the ambitious aggressive jock who applied his tenacity and competitiveness to show business who comes through. It’s the corporate entertainer, trying to throw in a little something for everyone, too careful not to offend or reveal. That’s not what autobiographies are for. Like the memoir Tabloid Baby, The Voices In My Head is divided into 40 chapters. But at 226 pages, punctuated with often poorly-reproduced photographs, it’s less than half the length, looks and reads like the product of a vanity press, and doesn’t get the reader anywhere close to the real Danny Gans. Danny Gans was a unique American success story whose life, short as it was, transcends tragedy. His story has yet to be written. We look forward to reading it.

Danny Gans' co-writer responds to Vegas columnist's slam

It was a shock to fans of Danny Gans that the first hometown review of his posthumous autobiography was a detailed rebuttal from an entertainment columnist who claimed that "though I'm not named," he was the target of a chapter in The Voices In My Head that took aim at a jaded, sleazy, dishonest show biz writer.

Mike Weatherford (left) of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (a paper that's owned--extraordinarily-- by the book's publisher) accused Gans of a "grudge," and called his co-author, RG Ryan, "sloppy," in yesterday's Review-Journal column and blog post.

Ryan responds exclusively to Tabloid Baby:

"Not sure what set Mike off, but we had a cordial phone conversation during which I was able to provide a context for the chapter in question. His accusation in print that I was a 'sloppy co-writer' seemed based solely on a mis-spelling of former RJ entertainment reporter Michael Paskevich's name, which, for the record, was also missed by the Stephens Press editorial staff.

"He's entitled to his opinion, as was Danny Gans."

UPDATE: RG Ryan also responded to Weatherford on the Review-Journal blog page:

"Regarding those details that I didn't, "bother to ask you about", it was an autobiography, Mike. Those were Danny's memories, and he didn't plan on dying prior to publication.

"About Mike Paskevich--what can I say, the mis-spelling of his name made it past all my edits, plus the editorial staff of Stephens Press, a situation I find profoundly unfortunate but am powerless to correct.

"By your reaction to this chapter it appears that reviewers have feelings too...just like the celebrities they review, which was kind of the whole point.

"rg"

Vegas columnist blasts Danny Gans book!

In the Las Vegas news media’s first examination of Danny Gans’ posthumous autobiography, a veteran newspaper columnist is challenging the accuracy of the book, blasting it as a "grudge" and the attacking abilities of Gans’ co-author.

Las Vegas Review-Journal entertainment columnist Mike Weatherford's scathing column and supporting blogpost appears today-- on the six-month anniversary of Gans’ death by Dilaudid. Weatherford challenges the facts in Chapter 34 of The Voices In My Head, claiming that he is the unnamed columnist who appears in the chapter, allegedly telling Gans on their first meeting that he was not his friend or fan, that Gans needed topless dancers in his show, and broke a promise not to review Gans' opening-night gala at The Mirage. Writes Weatherford: “The first mostly wasn't true. The second I can only figure was a joke... The third issue is fuzzier. I don't remember what was said about reviewing the gala.”

Weatherford attributes the jab in the chapter to the fact that he had given Gans’ Mirage opening a less-than-perfect rating. “Gans' manager, Chip Lightman, called to raise hell about the letter grade, which was an A-. Apparently that minus sign bothered them. ‘The No. 1 show in town should be an A plus-plus-plus, you should like everything about it,’ Gans later told the Los Angeles Times.” Weatherford gives a detailed blow-by-blow rebuttal of the chapter on the Review-Journal blog page. He also throws in a punch at Gans’ co-author, RG Ryan: "I didn’t have room for the details, which if sloppy co-author R.G. Ryan had bothered to ask me about, might have kept the chapter out of the book to begin with.” Weatherford characterizes the issue as “sad.” His characterization of the chapter as a “grudge” gives promise that the book will be a no-holds-barred response to the local media who disparaged Gans’ talent, much in the style of fellow Strip legend Wayne Newton’s classic autobiography, Once Before I Go. Weatherford’s blast is all the more extraordinary because the Gans book is published by the Review-Journal’s parent company. The publisher made a deal with Gans’ family in the days after his death on May 1st, and perhaps coincidentally, its reporters did not follow up on or investigate the mysterious circumstances of his death at 52. Weatherford, for example, never followed up on his column in which he reported that Gans was “down in the dumps” and “in unusually low spirits” the day before he died. We at Tabloid Baby are still waiting our copy of the book from Amazon.com, which signaled a three-to-five week wait.

Book and Brooks carry on after Danny Gans

Danny Gans' co-author RG Ryan signs copies of the Gans autobiography The Voices In My Head at a Borders bookstore in the Las Vegas Town Square shopping center Saturday, the day Garth Brooks sold out the first twenty of his solo shows at Gans' former theatre on the Las Vegas Strip.

Amazon.com is very slow in getting out copies of Gans' books. Ours is promised for delivery in mid-November.

Photo: Photo Diva at Living Las Vegas

Danny Gans book hits stores today

Danny Gans' autobiography makes its official debut in bookstores today-- the same day that Garth Brooks will announce he's starting a long run at the theatre left vacant by Danny Gans' death.

The Voices In My Head arrives five months after the Las Vegas headliner died of an overdose of the powerful opiate hydromorphone, also known as Dilaudid or "drugstore heroin." Gans' ghostwriter-turned-cowriter RG Ryan tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal what he told Tabloid Baby last month: that the book will not address Gans' drug use (or his ownership of a pharmacy supply house), but that "readers may get an idea from the book about why he took them":

"Gans sustained several injuries over the years that caused him long-term problems, including an ankle injury that ended his dreams of becoming a major league baseball player, surgeries, two car accidents and a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis."


The paper says the book "spans more than 50 years, beginning with a brief history of how his parents met and closing with a chapter about how Gans came to be headlining at Encore after a long tenure with The Mirage.

"Much of what's addressed in the book-- Gans' love of baseball, his Las Vegas resume and even his inspirations-- won't surprise readers who are familiar with the entertainer, co-writer Ryan says. But Gans told his story in a way that will enable people to understand what drove him to be the 'man of many voices' and a longtime Las Vegas headliner."

Ryan says he met Gans while exercising at a local gym 13 years ago,and that he proposed the idea for the autobiography over coffee in May 2008. The book, told in Gans' voice, was based on 15 hours of recorded conversations that Ryan transcribed and shaped.

Despite Ryan's insistence that he book was completed the day day before Danny Gans died, the Review-Journal article states that he'd completed only a "first draft" on April 30th. Ryan emailed to correct us after we reported last month that Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke wrote that a "rough draft" had been finished that day:

"The final draft was, in fact, completed at eleven AM on Thursday, April 30, 2009."

He tells the Review-Journal: "The day before he died, at 11 a.m., I sent him a text," Ryan recalls. "I just said, 'Done!!!' He wrote back, 'Great, let's get together Friday at 4 p.m.'"

The first copies of the book were made available Saturday at the Danny Gans Memorial Run for Champions. The paperback retails for $14.95 and is published by Stephens Press, a subsidiary of Stephens Media LLC, owner of the Review-Journal. It's available at Amazon.com (we're awaiting our copy), some bookstores and online at DannyGansVoices.com (see column at right).

Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn are scheduled to announcer the singer's extended stand at the Encore Theatre at one pm.

Danny Gans run "amazing experience"

"The spirit of the day-- that of kind and caring generosity--
was graphic witness to who Danny Gans was in life,
and now even in death."

More than two thousand people showed up and the first copies of Danny Gans' autobiography were unveiled at one of year's most poignant and emotional charity events.

The Danny Gans Memorial Champions Run for Life was hosted by Gans' friend Donny Osmond at the District community and shopping center in Henderson, Nevada Saturday-- benefiting a cancer charity close to Gans' heart, less than six months after the 52-year-old musical impressionist's sudden death at home just three miles away.

RG Ryan, co-author of Gans' autobiography, The Voices In My Head, was there, and says he was surprised when the book's publisher arrived with the first two hundred copies of the book.

We emailed to ask him about the event. He sent us this reply:

"The Danny Gans Champions Run for Life (benefiting children's cancer research) was an amazing experience. 2000 people participated in either a one-mile fun run or a 5K competitive run (which was won by a 13 year-old girl, by the way).

"But the highlight of the morning was the actual 'Champions Run.' The 'champions' were all children battling cancer in all of its various, hideous forms. Each child got to choose someone to "run" with them, from Center Court at The District down to the Elephant Bar and back. Quite emotional. Donny Osmond ran with the first little girl, dancing the last few yards (maybe getting in some extra practice for DWTS). The Pirates and Sirens from TI, as well as members of the UNLV Volleyball team along many others participated in honor of these amazing children.

"The spirit of the day-- that of kind and caring generosity-- was graphic witness to who Danny Gans was in life, and now even in death. I'm not sure people ever really got it that Danny was one of the most generous souls ever to walk the planet. From public events like this, to several dozen charities and religious non-profits, even to buying a wheelchair for a random homeless cripple he would see every day on his way in to work, he lived what he believed.

"We didn't even know if there would be copies of the book available by the race, but the printer managed to get a couple of hundred to us, so we sat up a table and didn't make a big deal out of it because the day wasn't about selling books, but about the children..."

UPDATE: The Voices In My Head is now available at Amazon.com.

Danny Gans book may debut at charity run

The first copies of the Danny Gans autobiography, The Voices In My Head, may be available and handed out at Saturday's Danny Gans Champions Run for Life in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson.

R.G. Ryan, Gans' co-author of the book that he says was completed hours before the musical impressionist died unexpectedly and tragically on May 1st, tells Tabloid Baby exclusively:

"Hopefully, we'll have copies by Saturday morning out at The District for Danny's Champions Run For Life."

Ryan would not comment on the apparent dispute that delayed the publication of the book, which was bought up by the parent company of The Las Vegas Review-Journal within days of Gans' death and promised for rush-release in June.

Last week, Ryan wrote on his blog:

"After four, long months of needless delays, 'The Voices In My Head,' co-written with the late Danny Gans, is off to the printers and we fully expect to have copies in our hands by October 10.

"Our original plan had been to have the book in stores by the middle of June. Sadly, that didn’t happen for reasons too hurtful and complex to address in this forum. Citing the proverbial 'bottom line,' suffice it to say that the delays did not come from our side or from the publisher.

"I have given up so much for the sake of seeing this story in print, for all intents and purposes I am now numb to the process and fighting to find a reason to celebrate. I hope you read this book, for it is a compelling story of one man’s fight against debilitating pain and heartbreak, rising at last to the pinnacle of his profession… perhaps the best who ever lived. I’m anxious for you to meet my friend, Danny Gans.

"Hurtful and complex"? "The delays did not come from our side or the publisher"?

Ryan had first indicated that he was in a dispute with Gans' family when he blogged in July:

“After weeks of not knowing what was going to happen, I have come to an agreement with the estate of Danny Gans..."

This week, we again asked Ryan if the conflict had to do with his role, which may have morphed from anonymous ghostwriter to credited co-author on the cover of the book.

Ryan says this morning:

"I would like nothing more than to go into detail about what a stressful summer it was. Sadly, I cannot. Which, at the end of the day may be for the best as I am choosing to put it all behind me and press on. I've got many more stories to write and refuse to waste even one more hour, let alone another day, worrying about all that transpired.

"My name is on the book because Danny wanted my name to be on the book. Period! He was such a great friend, and I miss him terribly."


Ryan has added a section to his website in which he offers a tribute to his friend:

"Danny Gans poured his life into everything he loved—his family, his faith, his career and his city.

Sadly, the day after this book was finished, Danny died. His was a life well lived, and he leaves behind a story worth telling. This is that story.

From the dust and freshly cut grass smells of the baseball diamond, to the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas Strip you will see the portrait of a man whose uncommon gifts as a comedian, impressionist and consummate entertainer were equally matched by a good, true and generous heart.

Love and loss, friendship and betrayal, glory and pain, all color the rich palate of his life.

Danny Gans, “The Man of Many Voices!” Although his voice has been silenced, his legacy lives on.

R.G. Ryan"

Click here to order The Voices In My Head

Danny Gans autobiography at printer

The long-awaited Danny Gans autobiography, which co-author R.G. Ryan insists was completed the day before Gans' untimely death on May 1st, was sent to the printers this morning, according to publisher Carolyn Hayes Uber.

Huber, of Stephens Press, whose parent Stephens Media also publishes the Las Vegas Review-Journal, blogs on the Working Titlez site:

"The Voices in My Head, by Danny Gans and R.G. Ryan went to press this morning. Whew!

"Danny’s very personal biography will debut in a trade paper edition later this month while a special collector’s hardcover edition (with an audio CD) will be out in December. More on both to come.

"Danny poured his energy into everything he loved, from his family to his faith, from baseball to his career in entertainment. When it came time to document his life story, he poured his energy into this project as well. Sadly, Danny passed away the day after the manuscript was completed. His inspiring story remains, offering a compelling mix of touching tales and life lessons. Danny’s story, told in his own voice, from his own heart.

"We’re honored to publish The Voices in My Head."

The book's complete title is: "The Voices In My Head: A Story of Triumph Over Tragedy and Beating The Odds in Las Vegas."

Earlier this month, we contacted RG Ryan to find if any changes were made to address the tragic circumstances of Gans' death.

He replied:

"No rewrite necessary re: drug use. That's a story for someone else to write."

Yes, it is.

Danny Gans' ghostwriter: "Norm Clarke got it wrong! I did so complete Danny's autobiography the day before he died!"

The ghostwriter for the upcoming autobiography of the late Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans insists the book was completed the day before Danny Gans died, and that Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke was "wrong" in reporting on September 6th that he had only completed a "rough draft."

R.G. Ryan, the musician, poet and, according to Norm, former minister, who collaborated with Gans on his memoirs before the musical impressionist died suddenly at age 52 after taking the powerful opiate hydromorphone, emailed the Tabloid Baby offices to insist that this Danny Gans legend is true:

"Just read your report regarding my interview with Norm Clarke. Contrary to what he said, and what you subsequently reported, the final draft was, in fact, completed at eleven AM on Thursday, April 30, 2009. It is a well-documented fact that Norm, unfortunately got wrong. I'd appreciate a correction in your report and wished you would've asked me about it. I've been pretty open with you, don't you think?"

Ryan has indeed responded to our questions on more than one occasion, and gave his blessing for us to post the prologue to the Gans book, The Voices In My Head (we used screen grabs of the chapter from Ryan's site, which he has since removed. He also told Tabloid Baby that he finished the book at 11 am the day before Gans died.

Although he's failed to answer several queries we've emailed him in the time since, we're happy to publish anything he's got to say.

The story that Danny Gans had completed his autobiography hours before his shocking death was one of several image-burnishing stories that were circulated by his friends in the days after the tragedy. The book is set for October release. Norm is on vacation in Spain. No word whether he's issued a retraction, as he's done for past Danny Gans myths that he had floated.

Danny Gans autobiography contains chapter touching on his drug use; coauthor admits book wasn't really completed the day before Gans died

Danny Gans' ghostwriter turned co-author admits today that the musical impressionist's autobiography was not really completed the day before he died. Although the legend began on the day of the Las Vegas superstar's untimely death and has been repeated often in the months since, RG Ryan now admits that he had only finished a "rough draft" of the book-- which is now said to contain a chapter that at least touches on an explanation for Gans' secret use of painkilling drugs.

Ryan's revelation-- and the effort to address the details of Gans' untimely death in a suitable fashion-- could help explain the delay in publishing The Voices In My Head, which was snatched up within days of Gans' shocking passing on May 1st by the owner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and promised for a rush-release in June (publication is now set for October).

Ryan, a local writer, poet and musician who is also billed today in Norm Clarke's Review-Journal column as a "former minister," had intimated that the delays were due to negotiations with Gans' family over his writing credit.


Ryan tells Norm that the book will include a chapter called "The Glory and The Pain," detailing Gans' "incredible struggles to overcome pain."

Writes Norm:

"The pain came not just from sports injuries, but two car accidents. One involved being rear-ended by a garbage truck about eight years ago. The other happened about five years ago when his car hit a water puddle and hydroplaned into a light pole.

"On some nights, when his pain was unbearable, Gans signaled his band leader to play a song, 'because Danny would have to run off stage and throw up,' Ryan said."

Norm reports that Ryan and Gans' estate do not go into the details of how managed that pain, or what led to the overdose of hydromorphone (described my Norm as "a powerful opiate also known as Dilaudid, the highly addictive drug... nicknamed 'drugstore heroin.'")


Ryan claims, "It never came up in our conversations (12 to 15 hours of interviews). The only thing he ever said about that to me was that he stuck to ibuprofen, because all that other stuff-- he said he had doctors prescribe heavy-duty stuff-- it dried out his voice."

"When Gans died, 'I was just as shocked as anyone else. Obviously he was taking something stronger than Motrin,' Ryan said."

Ryan tells Norm that Gans was "pushing very hard to get a number of things wrapped up. But I didn't pick up any sign that he had a premonition that he was going to die."

"Ryan described the book as a 'comprehensive, intimate look into the heart and soul of a man who, from the time he was 7 years old, was targeted to the goal of being a professional baseball player.'"

Norm also reports that Ryan "finished a rough draft the day Gans died."


A "rough draft" is usually the first version of a work that requires correcting, rewriting, revising and polishing. In the case of a book, it is far from the final, finished version.

Ryan had told us via email that the entire book "was finished at eleven AM on Thursday. We were supposed to get together at four Friday afternoon, May 1."

The autobiography myth was one of several that were spread in the hours after Gans death. Another, later retracted by Norm, was that Gans switched the final song in what was his final show from his usual medley of African American singing impressions to Bobby Darin's "The Curtain Falls."

Las Vegas media buzzes about Danny Gans' book, ignores revelation that he had ownership in a pharmacy supply house

Three days after the bombshell revelation that drug victim Danny Gans had ownership in a pharmacy supply house, no one in the Las Vegas news media, mainstream or otherwise, has seen fit to follow up on-- or even report-- the story.

There is great buzz, however, over the upcoming publication of Gans' autobiography in October.

Co-author RG Ryan, whose negotiations with Gans' family delayed the promised June rush-release of the book that he claims was completed the day before Gans died, posts a "tweet" that he expects "we'll have (The Voices In My Head) out in late October, with the special collector's edition a bit later."


Publisher Carolyn Hayes Uber of Stephens Press, whose parent Stephens Media also publishes the Las Vegas Review-Journal, tweets that she and her team are out "to do Danny proud.

"Fans will love the book. Lots of photos."


Gans was only 52 and three months into a new, longterm contract at Steve Wynn's Encore Hotel & Casino, when he died unexpectedly May 1st of an overdose of hydromorphone, a tightly-controlled, powerful opiate sold under the name Dilaudid and known as "drugstore heroin." One of his doctors claimed that Gans apparently did not have a prescription for the drug. The local news media have kept a suspiciously respectful distance from the story, even after the coroner refused to say what other drugs, if any, were in Gans' system.

The revelation that Gans was part-owner of Green Valley Med in his hometown of Henderson comes amid local coverage of an illegal prescription bust and interest in local doctor Conrad Murray, who's the target of the Michael Jackson death probers. Within hours after the pharmacy news broke, the Review-Journal ran a story announcing the publication of the book and plans to release a Danny Gans CD and DVD.

Alicia Jacobs claims that "certain powers" tried-- and failed-- to stop her interview with Danny Gans' ghostwriter

The controversy surrounding the May 1st death of Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans continues to expand as his close friend, beauty queen turned TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs, claims that "certain 'powers'" tried to stop her from taping a TV interview with the co-author of Gans' upcoming autobiography.

Jacobs, who transmits her hourly activities on Twitter, kept a running tab of her journey to visit RG Ryan at the Starbucks where he and Gans met to write the book, "The Voices In My Head," which Ryan claims was completed the day before Gans' died.


She posted yesterday:

Just arrived @ the Starbucks where Danny Gans met weekly w/ the writer of up-coming book, "Voices in my Head." About 2 interview @rgryan.

She followed with:

"Just interviewed co-writer of Danny Gans' book. Very emotional 4 both of us. Many tears.Certain "powers" did not want the int.2 happen."

and

"So sad that certain people didn't want @rgryan 2 do interview..he is lovely & has so many touching stories 2 share re: time w/ Danny Gans"


Gans' book became the topic of journalistic controversy when, days after Gans' death from an overdose of Dilaudid, the Las Vegas Review-Journal made a deal with Gans' family to publish it. The Review-Journal's publisher had planned to rush-release the book in June, but publication was delayed unexpectedly by negotiations between Ryan and Gans' family. Ryan gave a hint of the sticking point when he told Tabloid Baby, "The book will be published, I am still credited as co-author."



Alicia Jacobs has been the target of much criticism ever since, by her own account, Gans' manager Chip Lightman phoned her within minutes of Gans' death to tell her firstof the tragedy and she went on the air waving a Bible she said her dear friend of 13 years had given her. In the weeks to follow, before the official cause of Gans' death was announced, she, Lightman and New York Times stringer, Gay Vegas author, Michael Jackson "tribute" concert producer and comp queen Steve Friess waged a campaign to spin coverage of Gans' life and legacy away from the inevitable verdict that he'd died from taking too much of the powerful opiate hydromorphone, also known as Dilaudid or "drugstore heroin."

Even the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which maintained a hands-off approach to the Gans story even before it becmae partners with Gans' family, accused her of "bias-in-reverse" in covering the story and insinuated she had lost all credibility in her Gans reports. (The controversy deepened when it was revealed that her executive producer at KVBC-TV News, Miles Smith, is Friess' unofficial husband.

The identity of the "powers"... the reasons for their objections... and why they were unsuccessful in stopping Alicia Jacobs? We have sent those questions to Alicia Jacobs and RG Ryan, and will let you know the responses.

Battle between ghostwriter and family holds up publication of the autobiography that Danny Gans finished writing the day before he died

“As far as any word I'd like to get out...
words have been spoken and rumors spread,
but the real story has yet to be told.
'The Voices In My Head’ is that story."

--RG Ryan, Danny Gans’ ghostwriter

Plans to rush-release Danny Gans’ autobiography, said to be completed the day before he died of a drug overdose on May 1st, have been thrown into chaos as Gans’ family and ghostwriter tangle behind the scenes in secret negotiations that fans had assumed were completed before the first words were typed.

RG Ryan (left), novelist, poet, songwriter and blogger (Snapshots at St. Arbuck’s) says he and the Gans’ family have made a deal that will see the book published— with his name attached.

The book, The Voices In My Head, became an instant part of the Danny Gans legend when Gans’ manager Chip Lightman revealed it was not only in the works but had completed hours before Gans died. However, the veracity of the claim remained in dispute, as Lightman and Gans’ close personal friend, beauty queen-turned TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs, had been working together from the time paramedics pronounced Gans dead to spin the circumstances of his death and life into spiritual and often misleading directions.

The book also played a major role in the Las Vegas news media’s hands-off approach to the unpleasant facts about Gans’ life and death, when-- less than a week after his passing-- the publisher of Las Vegas’ major newspaper, The Review-Journal, made a deal with Gans’ family to publish the book and make a quick killing.

The paper’s own columnist Norm Clarke broke the news:

"The family of Danny Gans is moving ahead with plans to have his autobiography published next month. "

Gans' manager, Chip Lightman, and Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick met on Monday, and 'we're crossing the T's as we move forward on a handshake,' Frederick said.

"The R-J is planning a mid-May ad campaign to allow people to reserve copies. "'We are proceeding at a fast pace to have the book printed and available in June,' Frederick said.

"Lightman said the book will also be printed as a hard-cover collectors item and hopefully will be available in June.

"The book, tentatively titled 'Voices In My Head,' will be published by Stephens Press, a division of Stephens Media, the parent company of the Review-Journal."

Plans became undone sometime after it was revealed on June 9th that Gans had died of an overdose of hydromorphone, a painkiller known as “drug store heroin.”

The prologue to the book was posted on coauthor RG Ryan’s website, but removed the day after we posted screen grabs of the text.

When we asked at the time why the page had been removed from his site, Ryan referred all questions to Lightman.

Yet Ryan indicated there was more intrigue on July 3rd, when he posted:

“After weeks of not knowing what was going to happen, I have come to an agreement with the estate of Danny Gans.

“It was nine months of hard work (completed the day before he died) and I am so looking forward to his remarkable story being in the hands of the fans he loved, and who loved him in return.

“I’ll try to keep updates happening here and on Twitter regarding a date for publication.

“rg”

When we reached Ryan via email this week, he confirmed that the story of Gans’ autobiography being completed hours before his death was not a public relations fabrication:

“Yes, it was finished at eleven AM on Thursday. We were supposed to get together at four Friday afternoon, May 1.”

As for details of the behind-the-scenes holdup, he replied:

“Can't say a whole lot at present as negotiations are at a critical point. I can tell you that the book will be published, I am still credited as co-author and it's going to be a great read for the people who were truly fans of Danny Gans.

“As far as any word I'd like to get out...words have been spoken and rumors spread, but the real story has yet to be told. ‘The Voices In My Head’ is that story.”

Exclusive: The prologue to Danny Gans' autobiography, "The Voices In My Head"

The controversy over the opiate overdose death of Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans has so far not impacted plans by Stephens Press, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's publishing arm, to rush-release next month the autobiography he'd supposedly finished the day before, in the words of his ghostwriter, R.G. Ryan, he "went to be with the Lord." Ryan, a poet and songwriter, includes the prologue to the book, The Voices In My Head, on his blogsite, Snapshots At St. Arbucks. A photo image of the webpage appears below:

Danny Gans photo: Ralph Fountain/ Las Vegas Review-Journal