American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Gibson released her debut album Out of the Blue in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple Platinum by the RIAA. One of those singles, “Foolish Beat”, made Gibson the youngest female artist to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. Her double-platinum sophomore album Electric Youth (1989), gave Gibson another U.S. No. 1 with “Lost In Your Eyes”. Gibson is the sole songwriter on all of her singles to reach the Top 20 of the Hot 100 charts. She was recognized by ASCAP as Songwriter of the Year, along with Bruce Springsteen, in 1989. She continued to record and release music throughout the 1990s and 2000s. In 2006, Gibson reached No. 24 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart with “Say Goodbye”, a duet with Jordan Knight.
In addition to music, she has gone on to starring roles on Broadway and touring musicals including playing Eponine in Les Misérables and Sandy in Grease, as well as independent film and television work. Gibson co-starred with actor Lorenzo Lamas in the low-budget action/adventure film Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus. In mid-2003, Gibson was a judge on the American Idol spin-off American Juniors which lasted one season. In January 2006, she joined the cast of Skating with Celebrities on Fox Television, partnered with former Canadian World Champion figure skater Kurt Browning. She was voted out in the third episode. Gibson competed on the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice, which began airing on February 19, 2012. On the fourth task, she won $50,000 for her charity, Children International.
Gibson was once engaged to Jonathan Kanterman. She has been in a longterm relationship since 2008 with Rutledge Taylor. Gibson has been battling Lyme disease since early 2013.
In 2016, she appeared on Oprah: Where Are They Now?, where she spoke out about her drug use in the past, after the death of singer Prince. “I really feel like I haven’t fully articulated it till now and really spoke candidly till now… When I heard the news about Prince and the fact that it might have been prescription drug-related, I really had a moment of, like, ‘That’s awful and that’s sad — and I can relate,’” she explained. “And, unfortunately, 90 percent of the entertainment community can relate.” Debbie said she had her own drug cocktail of choice when she was on the road. “I remember being on the road at, like, 25, touring with theater and doing my own cocktail of Tylenol PM and Xanax. It’s like, ‘Oh, I found a way to make the Xanax last longer with the Tylenol PM,’” she said. “I mean, it’s as simple as that, and that is how performers get in so much trouble.”
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