Paramedics were called to Gans house early on Friday, May 1 by his wife who found him in bed not breathing. He was declared dead shortly afterward. No cause of death has been determined yet.

Gans has been a fixture on the Las Vegas entertainment scene since 1996 when he began a standing gig at The Stratosphere. He moved to The Rio for a few years before friend and casino magnate Steve Wynn lured him to his own custom built theater at The Mirage in 2000. He performed there until last year when Wynn once again called him to be the headliner at his new hotel Encore. Gans’ show at that hotel opened in February.

Known for his rapid fire impersonations of everyone from George Burns to Kermit the Frog, Gans was a big draw for both tourists and locals, regularly selling out shows and drawing “Best of Vegas” type awards.

Reaction from friends and fellow performers began pouring in immediately.

Steve Wynn released a statement on Friday: "Elaine and I and all of us in the company are devastated at the loss of our brilliant, talented and loving friend. One of the most unique human beings and entertainers in the world has been taken from us in an unexpected moment. A profoundly tragic event that leaves us all sad and speechless. The loss of Danny to his wife, Julie, his children, Amy, Andrew and Emily, is at this moment impossible to comprehend. We will all try to go on with our lives without our dear friend. At this moment, it seems almost impossible."

In a statement also released on Friday, Cher said “I was shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden passing of such a unique and gifted talent.”

And longtime Vegas headliner Lance Burton said, “The news of Danny Gans’ passing is unbelievably shocking. Las Vegas has lost one of its best ambassadors. He was quite simply one of the greatest entertainers ever to step foot onto the stage. In my 27 years in Las Vegas , I have never seen anyone better.”

It is too early to know what will happen to the theater in which Gans performed at Encore. For the time being it will be used for short run headliner shows including a stand from Beyonce in late July.

Two interestingly timed stories have emerged in the days since Gans’ death.

First is word from Gans’ manager that the entertainer had just finished his autobiography on Wednesday, less than two days before he died. He was reportedly going to have a meeting with publishers this week.

Second is a sudden change in the program during Gans’ last show on Wednesday night. Instead of the number he usually closes with, Gans instead chose to end the night with a version of Bobby Darin’s “The Final Curtain.”

As of this writing, the Encore Las Vegas website is featuring a video of Gans performing that song – it’s worth checking out.

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The $8 billion plus complex of hotels, condos, casino, shopping, and entertainment facilities was in danger of sinking into bankruptcy after a rift between partners MGM Mirage and Dubai World. The short version is that MGM Mirage is having financial difficulties and Dubai World grew concerned about their massive investment, causing them to halt their contributions toward debt payments. The project was short more than a billion dollars needed to complete it.

Now the two partners have kissed and made up and financing has been secured, virtually guaranteeing that the complex will open as scheduled.

A condominium tower called Vdara will open first in October with the main hotel and casino, Aria, opening in December. The rest of the property will open in stages after that.

Despite fixing their money problems with CityCenter, MGM Mirage is still sailing through some rough financial waters and is rumored to be actively shopping many of their properties in an effort to stave off bankruptcy. Hotels in Mississippi and Detroit are already up for sale and several Strip casinos might get their own Craig’s List ads soon. But who would want to buy a massive and expensive Vegas hotel right now?

Apparently Steve Wynn, for one.

Bellagio was Steve Wynn’s crown jewel, at the time the most expensive hotel-casino ever built and the shining star of his portfolio of properties that included The Mirage, Treasure Island, and the Golden Nugget. Wynn sold those hotels to MGM and went on to build Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.

Now, he may very well get his crown jewel back.

Steve Wynn has expressed interest in possibly buying back Bellagio or extending his North Strip reach by acquiring Circus Circus. His comment were reported in the Las Vegas Review Journal last week although it is important to note that at this point it is merely him suggesting that it was interesting and not something that was actively being pursued.

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