She Was An Electric Youth
Debbie Gibson was still a teenager when her Electric Youth album lived up to its name and made her the youngest female recording artist to have both an album and a single in the number one spot. Sadly, Gibson soon joined the ranks of aging child stars willing to do anything to stay in the spotlight—and when she got a shocking diagnosis, she had to use the lessons she’d learned as a young star in a desperate attempt to save her life.
1. Her Name Came Out Of Tragedy
Deborah Ann Gibson was born on August 31, 1970, in Brooklyn, New York. As a celebrity, Deborah quickly became “Debbie”, but she kept her original surname. Strangely, she got the name Gibson in a tragic way: her biological grandmother married a guy named Gibson just before heartlessly abandoning her son, Debbie’s father, to an orphanage.
This tragic name was going to be with Debbie as she became a star.
MR O from USA [2], Wikimedia Commons
2. She Took Home The Cash
In 1983, when Debbie Gibson was barely a teenager, she made a recording of her song “I Come From America”. She sent the song into a radio station and hoped to cash in on their top prize. She did and took home $1,000. You can well imagine what a teenage girl could do with $1, 000 of her own.
Well, Gibson was no ordinary teenager.
3. Her Mom Supported Her
Gibson had her prize money, and her mom saw an opportunity. With a loan from a relative, Mom added another $10,000 to the pot. With this money, the Gibson family turned their garage into a recording studio. It was time to do some hard work.
The family needed it to pay off.
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4. She Got Passed Along
Gibson spent the next few years writing, producing, and recording her own material. She tirelessly sent her recordings to radio stations, trying to hit the big time. One radio personality thought there was something to Gibson’s songs and handed a recording to Atlantic Records. The song that Atlantic Records listened to was “Only in My Dreams”.
It had the potential to make Gibson’s dreams a reality.
5. She Signed On The Dotted Line
The exec at Atlantic loved “Only in My Dreams” which Gibson had written when she was just 14 years old. Solely based on this song, Atlantic Records wanted to sign Gibson to a development deal. This also meant that she would start touring. By the time she was 16 years old, her career was ready to take off.
6. She Was Busy
Although she was still a teenager, Debbie Gibson started performing in club venues. But because of her youth, she was also attending Calhoun High School. In addition to performing and studying, Gibson was also building up a catalog of songs. She was slowly and methodically preparing to become a pop superstar.
But she was growing up way too fast.
7. She Went To Adult-Only Places
While Gibson was still too young to drink, it didn’t stop her from playing clubs. Her mother was playing the dual role of manager and protective mom, so she went with her daughter to a variety of nightclubs. Gibson later credited her mom with saving her from a world of trouble.
That’s because there was always darkness looming in the background.
8. She Needed Protection
Debbie Gibson was still a teenager, but this didn’t stop record executives from wanting to take her to parties. They also wanted to have her by their side like a piece of candy to impress their friends. While Gibson was confident enough to perform on stage, it was situations like these that gave her anxiety. Luckily, her mom was there to keep her safe.
Now, it was time to find out how “Only in My Dreams" would do on the charts.
9. She Followed It Up
Atlantic Records released “Only in My Dreams” in December 1986. By May of 1987, it had entered the charts. In September, it hit spot number four, and that was it. Not bad for a first single. The best thing to do now would be to release another song. Gibson did that with a track called “Shake Your Love”, which reached the number five spot.
It was time for a video.
Sherry Rayn Barnett, Getty Images
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10. She Did Her Best
At this time, if you wanted your video to get attention, there was no choreographer hotter than Paula Abdul. Abdul added her legendary touch to Gibson’s video, but most of the difficult choreography was left to the backup dancers. It could be that Gibson wasn't quite up to the standard Abdul expected.
But there were other ways that Gibson shone.
Alyssa Kristine, Wikimedia Commons
11. She Was The Youngest
In 1987, Gibson took her two hit songs, added a few more, and made them into a record. Out of the Blue produced four hit songs and gained attention in the UK and Southeast Asia. It also got Gibson a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records. She was, and still is, the youngest artist “to write, produce and perform a Billboard number-one single”.
Now Gibson had to prove she was worthy by having a successful second album.
Duncan Raban/Popperfoto, Getty Images
12. She Did It Again
Gibson’s second album was Electric Youth, and it did not disappoint. She garnered another first. She was the youngest female recording artist to have two things at the same time: an album and a single in the number one spot. But there was something more to Gibson than just a singing pop star.
13. She Was With The Boss
One thing that separated Debbie Gibson from many of the other young female recording artists was the fact that she wrote her own songs. In 1989, ASCAP decided to honor her talent as a writer. They gave the Songwriter of the Year award to her and Bruce Springsteen.
The thing was, like the man she shared the award with, Gibson was also “the boss”.
Uhlemann, Thomas, Wikimedia Commons
14. She Had To Grow Up Fast
Gibson later spoke about the discomfort she had when, while still a teenager, she had 100 employees reporting to her. This was not what most women her age were dealing with, and it put a lot of pressure on her. She wasn’t having your typical teenage experiences, and she later said that she was living her life “out of order”.
But there was someone else out there who could totally relate.
15. She Had A Rival
At this time in pop music history, you had to be one or the other. You had to like Gibson or her pop music competition, Tiffany. Well, at least that was what the teen magazines were saying; creating rivalries between pop stars like Gibson and Tiffany sold magazines. Gibson later said that she liked Tiffany, but they were both too busy to form a friendship.
Besides, Gibson had some very real dangers to worry about.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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16. She Was His Second Choice
In 1989, one of the big stories in celebrity culture was when TV star Rebecca Schaeffer lost her life at the hands of her stalker, Robert Bardo. While he was stalking Schaffer, Bardo temporarily turned his affections toward Debbie Gibson. When the authorities finally put Bardo in cuffs, they found something extremely upsetting in his home.
CBS Network, Wikimedia Commons
17. She Was In His Focus
When authorities entered Bardo's home, they found something shocking: Bardo had dedicated a wall of his home to Gibson and her pop star rival Tiffany. He’d obsessively covered the wall with pictures of the two stars. For unknown reasons, Bardo abandoned his obsession with Gibson and Tiffany and returned his focus to Schaeffer.
But Bardo was not the only danger.
18. He Had An Alias
After Bardo, another stalker arrived on the scene. Michael Falkner, who called himself “Starcade”, began writing letters, faxes, and emails to Gibson. He was an unhappy fan, and he wanted Gibson to hear him out. When he found out a way to get face-to-face with Gibson, he took the chance.
Duncan Raban/Popperfoto, Getty Images
19. She Was The Beauty To His Beast
In 1989, Debbie Gibson got a role in Disney’s live version of Beauty and the Beast. The show was playing at the Palace Theatre in Manhattan, so it wasn’t hard to figure out around what time Gibson would be leaving the show. Falkner did the math and in May 1989, he decided to face his obsession.
picture alliance, Getty Images
20. He Waited For Her
Falkner was ready to confront Gibson, so he stationed himself outside the Palace Theatre and waited for her to emerge. Before Falkner had a chance to do any harm to Gibson, authorities leapt in and saved her from a potentially dangerous encounter.
While she had narrowly escaped Falkner, this did little to reduce the stress in her life.
21. She Was A People Pleaser
Debbie Gibson was going through massive stress. As if the stalkers weren't enough, there was also pressure from fans and from record labels. She was a star, and everyone seemed to want something from her. Gibson’s problem was that she just wanted to please everyone, and she felt complaining about her life was not an option.
She found an outlet for her stress, but it wasn’t a positive one.
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22. She Panicked
When Gibson’s stress got too much, she started having panic attacks. These were huge, and she found herself hyperventilating. As a precaution, she resorted to carrying a paper bag around with her all the time, just in case. Sadly, Gibson kept telling everyone that she was fine. But she was not fine.
Working with this level of stress would soon affect her work.
23. It Wasn’t Possible
Amid all this personal drama, Gibson managed to put out her third album. She called it Anything is Possible. Apparently, something was impossible: putting out three super-hot albums in a row. That’s not to say that Anything is Possible is a hot mess; the title track, which she went off-brand with and had a co-writer, managed to chart. The other songs, however, did not. For Gibson, this equaled a failure.
Besides her stress, there was another reason why Anything is Possible was not a huge success.
24. She Grew Up
When Gibson made Anything is Possible, she had just left something behind: her teen years. Although she was just 20, she still wanted to try out a more adult sound. Fans who wanted more of the same from her were probably disappointed. But Gibson knew something. Music fans were growing tired of teen pop stars, so she was pivoting now before she had to.
Also, there was something looming in the distance that could mean the end for Gibson.
25. She Got Replaced
When Debbie Gibson was still at the apex of her career, a new genre of music was rising. Seattle, Washington, launched the grunge movement, and it could not have been further from the happy sounds that Gibson was making. In a heartbeat, Gibson was out, and she had no idea how to get back in.
The advent of grunge just added to the stress Gibson was already feeling. It was time to talk to a doctor.
26. She Medicated
Gibson’s stress was reaching an unmanageable level. Her doctors had a solution, and it was easy. On her doctors’ advice, Gibson started taking Xanax and Prozac for her anxiety and depression. Instead of dealing with why she had stress, she started taking medication.
This quick and easy fix got her back on track with her career.
Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons
27. She Did The West End
In the early 1990s, Gibson went up against 800 other hopefuls and got the part of Sandy Dombroski in a West End production of Grease. The show was a phenomenal success and even broke records for the box office. The single of her duet for “You’re the One That I Want” hit the number 13 spot on the Singles Chart for the UK. In addition to Grease, Gibson had roles in Les Misérables, Funny Girl, and Beauty and the Beast.
The thing was, even with all this work, Gibson had financial troubles.
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28. She Needed A Loan
As it turned out, working in the theater wasn’t quite the cash cow that being a platinum album pop star was. Debbie Gibson was having trouble maintaining her lifestyle. She eventually reached out to NSYNC member Lance Bass, who surreptitiously gave her $5,000 in a paper bag.
Clearly, she needed to find another source of income.
29. She Got the Lead
Back at the beginning of her music career, Gibson had been toying with the idea of becoming a film actor. She had small, sometimes uncredited, roles in Ghostbusters, Sweet Liberty, and The Manhattan Project. In 1998, she got a lead role in My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend.
This had the potential to be a new career focus and a source of much-needed cash—as long as her fans liked it.
Screenshot from My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, Gibson Productions (1999), Enhanced
30. She Was The Girlfriend
Debbie Gibson was throwing all she had into her first lead role in a film. She even wrote and recorded the title track for the movie. Sadly, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend didn’t do well. But that didn't stop them from making a sequel. My X-Girlfriend’s Wedding Reception was also not successful.
Being the girlfriend in a film hadn't worked out. Now, what about in real life?
Screenshot from My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, Gibson Productions (1999), Enhanced
31. She Called It Off
Until then, there hadn't been many rumors about Gibson’s dating life. So, when she started dating music executive Jonathon Kanterman, it was a big deal. The two got pretty close and then decided to take the next big step and announced their engagement. Sadly, in 2003, they called the marriage—and the entire relationship—off.
Gibson was free to do what she wanted. Let’s just say, she was feeling a little bit naughty.
32. She Took It All Off
Since she was 18 years old, Hugh Hefner’s people had been trying to get Debbie Gibson between the covers of their magazine. In 2005, when she was 35 years old, she finally relented. Well, it kind of made sense. You see, at this same time, she was releasing a single called “Naked”. This song made it as far as number 35 on the Billboard Hot Single Sales chart.
The world had had a chance to see Gibson in her birthday suit. And so did her doctor.
33. She Fired Him
In 2008, Gibson went to see a specialist about an issue with ongoing pain. Sparks must have flown in the examining room, because soon the doctor was telling Gibson that he couldn't date her because she was a patient. The always pragmatic Gibson came up with an immediate solution: she fired her doctor, and the two started dating.
It looked like Gibson had found true love. Sadly, there was another stalker waiting for his turn to torment her.
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34. He Was her Biggest Fan
Jordi Bassas Puigdollers may have seemed like he was Gibson’s biggest fan, but there was a problem: this Spanish taxi driver just seemed to like Gibson too much. He had a fan club and attended many of her concerts. When he started to try to get backstage to meet Gibson, she got a bad feeling.
She knew what stalkers were capable of, and she wanted to stop him before he went too far.
35. She Faced Him At Her Door
When Puigdollers showed up at Gibson’s front door, she knew she had to do something. Gibson didn’t hesitate and went right to the courts. She wanted the judge to keep Puigdollers 100 yards away from her, stop trying to contact her in any way, and stop attending her concerts. Usually in these cases, the judges side with the victim.
Well, not this time.
36. She Didn’t Get What She Wanted
After the judge heard Gibson’s story, he decided on a verdict. The judge agreed that Puigdollers should stay away from Gibson, but he differed when it came to concerts. The judge ruled that Puigdollers could attend Gibson's concerts as long as he stayed 10 yards away. Gibson didn’t show up for a later court date regarding Puigdollar, so the whole thing kind of fizzled out.
As it turned out, Gibson had bigger fish to fry—literally.
37. She Went Disaster
In 2009, Debbie Gibson took a lead role in the 2009 monster disaster film Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus. While critics gave the film very harsh reviews, audiences noticed something special about it: it was one of the first films to have an Asian American man as a romantic lead. Vic Chao played Gibson’s on-screen sweetheart, Dr Seji Shimada.
But not everything was sweet in this B-movie.
Screenshot from Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus, The Asylum (2009)
38. She Was All Washed Up
In Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus, Gibson plays an oceanographer named Emma. In one scene, another character describes Emma’s career as all washed up. Intentional or not, this line also seemed to describe Gibson’s music career. Perhaps that explains why Gibson agreed to do a sequel to this monstrous franchise.
She even invited another pop star from the 80s along for the ride.
Screenshot from Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus, The Asylum (2009)
39. She Went Too Far
In 2011, Gibson followed up Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus with Mega Python vs Gatoroid. Remember, Gibson and singer Tiffany had been pop star competitors and victims of the same stalker. Well, in this film, they were both victims of giant creatures. Somehow, this venture into cinematic camp went too far, and critics couldn't even get on board to call it a film you love to hate. They just hated it.
Gibson went from the very fake Mega Shark movies to something very, very real.
Screenshot from Mega Python vs Gatoroid, The Asylum (2011)
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40. She Got Real
Saying that Debbie Gibson participated in reality TV would be the understatement of the century. Her long list of reality TV appearances includes Skating with Celebrities, Celebrity Ghost Stories, Celebrity Name Game, Celebrity House Hunting, and she even joined Donald Trump on The Celebrity Apprentice. He fired her in episode seven.
Suddenly, things got very real.
Screenshot from Celebrity Name Game, Fremantle (2014-2017)
41. She Felt Bad
Around 2013, Gibson noticed that she wasn't feeling all that healthy. She often felt tired and experienced night sweats, migraines, and back pain. She also felt she had food sensitivities she’d never had before. Her first impulse was to return to the drug of comfort from her youth: Xanax.
But Xanax wasn’t providing the relief it once did.
42. She Didn’t Know What Was Wrong
What Gibson found was that Xanax was actually making her feel worse. She felt her body could no longer handle the medication. This pill had always been a comfort to her, and now she needed to look somewhere different. She went to the doctors and had all kinds of tests. Then she finally got her answer: she had Lyme disease. Because it took so long to diagnose, it had gotten into her neurological system.
Then her doctor gave her a grave prognosis.
43. She Would Lose Her Support
During her health crisis, Debbie Gibson had begun to rely on her dogs for emotional support. Joey, Trouper, and Levi—all dachshunds—provided calmness to her shattered life. But then Gibson’s doctor gave her some heartbreaking news: she would probably not be able to continue walking her dogs.
The doctor did give her one small hope.
44. She Did It Her Way
Gibson’s doctor said only surgery would help her get strong enough to take care of her dogs. Gibson didn’t want surgery, so she searched for ways to manage her Lyme disease. She started with homeopathic remedies and then turned to applied kinesiology. Her doctor urged her to do the operation, but Gibson flatly refused.
She had to prove that surgery wasn’t the only answer.
45. She Learned From The Past
Gibson continued with the homeopathic remedies and added yoga to the mix. She also started to recognize her triggers, which included smells like cleaners and air fresheners. Most importantly, she learned to say no when a request was going to be too much. It was hard, but she had to stop being a people pleaser all the time.
Now it was time to use her pain for art.
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46. She Joined With A Kid
In 2021, Debbie Gibson did something she hadn’t done in 20 years: she released an album of original music. She poured all her pent-up emotion into The Body Remembers, and she even brought on a blast from the past. Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block joined her for a duet on a revamped version of her single “Lost in Your Eyes”.
It seemed that the teenage pop star had evolved into a woman—and she was ready to let out some secrets.
47. She Came Clean
When pop sensation Prince tragically lost his life, Gibson could not keep silent. She told Oprah that “90% of the entertainment community” could relate to the overuse of prescription medicine. She also got personal and admitted that when she was in her 20s and touring, her favorite combination was Xanax and Tylenol PM.
But there are more positive things to remember about Gibson.
48. She Left A Fashion Legacy
Gibson certainly had an effect on fashion. She made wearing pork-pie hats a trend and also tight, rolled-up jeans. Another fashionable move she made was putting a vest over a T-shirt. Friendship bracelets and wearing two swatches at the same time are also Gibson legacies.
But for Gibson herself, there is one night that will go down in her list of bests.
49. She Met Her Inspirations
When asked about her musical influences, Debbie Gibson is quick to mention Elton John and Billy Joel. Well, lucky Gibson: in 1988, Elton John invited her to sing at his concert at Madison Square Garden. To her absolute delight, Billy Joel came up on stage as well, and they sang “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.
Gibson’s life included both tragedy and joy, and this moment with her heroes clearly belonged to the joyful side.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin, Getty Images
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
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