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Andrea Gibson cause of death: Popular Colorado poet dies at 49, tributes pour in
Popular Colorado poet Andrea Gibson has died at 49 after a brave battle with cancer, friends and family confirmed. Arianna Huffington paid tribute.
Popular Colorado poet, Andrea Gibson, has reportedly passed away at the age of 49, their friends and family confirmed. Ariana Huffington, the founder of Huffington Post and someone who knew Gibson, said that they passed away after a “courageous journey with cancer”.
Born in 1975 in Maine, Gibson moved with their family to Boulder, Colorado, in 1999. It is in the Colorado cities that Gibson truly flourished as a poet. They rose to prominence through open mic poetry in Colorado, becoming a four‑time Denver Grand Slam champion and winning the Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2008. An openly non-binary person, Gibson was a strong advocate for LGBTQ issues and preferred they/ them pronouns.
Gibson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in August 2021. Tumors were found during tests and subsequently, treatment, including a radical hysterectomy and chemotherapy, began.
"The day we find out the cancer has returned, Meg (Gibson's partner) and I have a quiet dinner. We don't know what to do with ourselves. What happens now? Where do we go next?" Gibson wrote in a moving piece of poetry, reflecting on their battle with cancer. They were also suffering from Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD), an unrecognized medical diagnosis.
Gibson has published seven poetry collections, and his works focus on gender, LGBTQ issues, mental health and social justice, among others. Gibson also wrote a memoir, called 'How Poetry Can Change Your Heart.' In September of 2023, Gibson was appointed Colorado’s 10th Poet Laureate by Governor Jared Polis in recognition of their impact on the Colorado community and their literary impact.
After his death, tributes poured in for Colorado's Poet Laureate, with all those touched by their words, remembering the beloved poet.
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“andrea gibson wrote words that impacted my life, my heart, and my very way of being many times over. may they rest in peace 💔” one user wrote.
“We're heartbroken to hear that the wonderful Andrea Gibson died today,” Boulder Books Store wrote in a post on X. “They were a favorite author of many of our staff, and we're so grateful for the times we were able to host them in our store and have their words spoken in our Ballroom.”
“RIP Andrea Gibson, a brilliant poet,” writer Joseph Fasano wrote.
Gibson and their partner, Megan Falley, fellow queer and spoken‑word poet and author, have been together since around 2015. They got engaged in 2022.
