Andrea Gibson, an American poet and activist, passed away on Monday at the age of 49. They wrote powerful poetry topics like gender identity, politics, and their four-year battle with terminal ovarian cancer. The news of their death was shared on social media by their wife, Megan Falley.
Gibson and Falley are featured in a documentary titled “Come See Me In The Good Light,” which recently won an award at the Sundance Film Festival and is set to be released this fall on Apple TV+. After the announcement, Gibson died peacefully at home in Boulder, Colorado, where they had lived since 1999, surrounded by loved ones, including his wife, parents, four ex-girlfriends, many friends, and their three dogs. The moment was filled with deep emotion.
The documentary, directed by Ryan White, tells the story of Gibson and Falley’s deep love as Gibson faced cancer. It includes a song written by Gibson alongside artists Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile. During a touching screening at the Sundance Film Festival, Gibson expressed that they never thought they would live long enough to see the documentary released.
On Monday, many friends, fans, and fellow poets shared heartfelt tributes to honor the late Gibson, whose words touched and transformed lives. Numerous members of the LGBTQ+ community expressed how Gibson’s poetry helped them embrace their true selves. People battling cancer and other serious illnesses mentioned that Gibson reassured them regarding death, emphasizing that love connects us even beyond life.
In a poem titled “Love Letter from the Afterlife,” which Gibson wrote shortly before their passing, they reflected on the nature of dying: “Dying is the opposite of leaving. When I left my body, I did not go away. That portal of light was not a portal to elsewhere, but a portal to here. I am more here than I ever was before.”