Comedian and former La Cañadan Danny Gans

Family and friends in La Cañada, as well as fans the world over, are mourning the loss of a comedy great this week.

Singer, actor, impressionist, and beloved family man, Daniel “Danny” Davies Gans died in his sleep last Friday night in Las Vegas, where he and his family had moved from La Cañada, about 15 years ago. Gans was 52 years old.

Gans grew up in Torrance, and graduated from Torrance High School in 1984. He and wife, Julie, later moved to La Cañada in order to live near both of their parents.

Gans’ parents preceded him in death.

Julie Gans is the daughter of retired state Senator Newt Russell and Diane Russell of La Cañada.

Gans met Julie Russell while the two were students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The couple married April 12, 1981 and became the parents of three children, Amy, 21, Andrew, 19, and Emily, 14. A sister, Peggy Gans, who lives in Southern California, also survives Gans.

Sherry Sclafani, Julie Gans’ sister, and her husband Louis also live in La Cañada.

In an interview with the Valley Sun Monday, Sclafani said the family will really miss Gans.

“He was such a funny guy and so generous. We did so much together as a family, he was a really great father,” she said, adding that the family has been overwhelmed by response from people across the globe that knew and loved “Danny.”

“He had a far greater reach than even we knew,” she said.

Gans had a strong faith in God and a heart for others. “He was always doing fundraiser shows and charity work,” Sclafani said.

While the couple lived in La Cañada, Gans and his family attended The Church on the Way, in Van Nuys. He also was an avid golfer and worked out regularly at a gym. “He was always a really healthy guy,” his sister-in-law said.

Gans grew up wanting to be third-baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox and started playing minor league baseball after college, but his career changed course after a leg injury.

His comedy career took off while the family was living in La Cañada.

“The family loved it in La Cañada, but Danny was traveling, doing convention dates cross the country. Then, he got the [job] at the Stratosphere [hotel casino] in Vegas, first, and then the Rio,” Sclafani said. Gans has been the headliner at Wynn Resorts’ Encore Theater since Feb. 10. Prior to that, he performed from April 2000 to November 2008 at The Mirage.

The family moved to Las Vegas after Gans became a performer there. They sold their La Cañada home about three years ago, Sclafani said.

In addition to a successful career as one of the top entertainers on the Las Vegas strip, Gans did some acting and portrayed third baseman “Deke” in the 1988 film “Bull Durham.”

Many fellow entertainers and media professionals have paid tribute to Gans since his death. He also was honored at the La Cañada Flintridge City Council meeting Monday night, where Mayor Laura Olhasso adjourned the council meeting in Gans’ memory.

The cause of death has not yet been determined, authorities in Las Vegas said.

Gans had trouble sleeping last Wednesday night after performing his regular comedy routine, and took a nap Thursday afternoon, on what was his day off. Authorities were called at 3:45 a.m. Friday after Julie Gans was unable to wake her husband. A routine autopsy was performed, but results are expected to take a few weeks, according to information released by Las Vegas’ Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy.

In lieu of flowers the family has asked that memorial donations be made to the Danny Gans Junior Golf Academy in Las Vegas, or the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, 6070 S. Eastern Ave. #200 Las Vegas, NV 89119.