True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

I'm still working on my book as we speak whilst bringing you content here on my blog every week. I'm keeping the exact details of the book under wraps because I'm such a perfectionist and I want it to be perfect! It was never my intention to rush into publishing a book for the sake of it, if I'm going to do it then I'm going to do it right (All of a sudden Wham just popped up in my head lol). 

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I hope the beginning of 2026 has been kind to you so far and I hope to see you on my Socials too.

Much love x Jo 

When I think about the music that my parents played growing up, I count myself very blessed for in amongst the classic albums of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, there was always a Bee Gees number in there somewhere. They were brought to my attention through being a fan of Grease and Saturday Night Fever and my mum was always a huge fan of Barry Gibb and their music. To me, the Bee Gees were just as important in music history as The Beatles were, but they don't get the full recognition that they deserve. I watched a Glastonbury clip on You Tube recently and it was from a few years ago when Coldplay had a surprise guest on stage and it was none other than Barry Gibb himself. With such music royalty you'd have thought that the audience would be screaming the place down but unfortunately this particular audience were a bit lukewarm and I was angry at my laptop screen because I thought that Barry deserved a heroes welcome. 

I understand that a lot of the people in that audience are of a certain age and taste but that's no excuse, The Bee Gees were before my time but I still know who they are, but anyway, I'm sure you know the significance of how important the Bee Gees have been to the world of music. I had to begin this post talking about the Bee Gees because the person I'm focusing on in this post was the youngest of the Gibb brothers, Andy. All together there were four brothers. 

The Bee Gees were formed in 1958 as a trio, Barry, Robin and Maurice. Barry was the oldest of the Gibb brothers and each were very talented singers, songwriters and musicians in their own right. The height of the band's success was in the late 1960s through to the 1970s but they were so incredibly popular with numerous hits not only for themselves but writing for other artists that they pretty much cemented their place in music history. They continued to release songs and tour up until the sad deaths of Robin and Maurice. Maurice was only 53 when he passed away on the 12th of January 2003, after issues with his health and suffering from a cardiac arrest. Robin passed away on the 20th of May 2012 at the age of 62. He had battled a number of health conditions in the later years of his life which were connected to colon cancer. As I move along this post I will be talking more about Andy but if you are unaware of his story you've probably pretty much guessed sadly that Andy too is no longer with us. I will go into the circumstances of his death as we go on but a heartbreaking outcome all round to find that Barry is the only one left out of the four brothers who is still standing. Barry is still going strong at the remarkable age of 78 and there really is no end to that man's talent. 

So, as you can imagine, Andy being so much younger than his brothers, being born on the 5th of March 1958 in Manchester, England, there was about 8 to 9 years between him and his two brothers Robin and Maurice. Barry being the oldest was 12 years apart in age from Andy. The funny thing is that Andy and Barry were almost like twins despite the age gap, they both looked alike, acted alike and even had the same birthmark. Andy idolized Barry and wanted to be just like him. Andy's upbringing was quite a surreal one, when his three brothers began making waves the whole Gibb family went from being a working class poor family from England to a worldwide sensation. Andy was still very young but watched in awe as his brothers, particularly Barry, got so much positive attention everywhere they went, screaming girls, fancy cars, fancy clothes and a never-ending supply of money. Whenever Andy wanted a new toy he got it, his brothers made sure that he and the family never went without a single thing. 

Andy's original dream was not to follow his brothers into the world of music, he wanted to be a Doctor. Being a Doctor seemed to be what he was set on until Barry bought him a guitar and he became hooked on playing. He still hero-worshipped Barry and decided that he wanted to get into music himself. Barry, his other brothers and his parents were all very supportive and encouraged him to keep practicing. 

Barry, Robin and Maurice, despite their success, knew how hard the music industry was and the pressures that came along with fame. They did their best to shield Andy from the showbiz lifestyle but it was very difficult. Andy was determined to be a star but he was also very shy at times and didn't have the confidence like that of his brothers. He was often described as being very sensitive. As Andy got older he expressed his desire to be famous like his brothers and really wanted to be part of the Bee Gees. For some reason the option of Andy joining the Bee Gees was never entertained by the other brothers for reasons best known to them. The trio had already cemented their place in music history and they were supportive of Andy with encouraging him to keep practicing and really go for a career but they didn't want him to be part of the band. 

With the help of his parents, brothers (especially Barry), Andy was set up with a music career. Barry helped him with songwriting and was a mentor to him. His mother got a band together and acted as a manager. Things took a while to take off and there were some dramas at this time. Andy was quite careless and found himself in a number of mishaps whilst living in Australia, especially a very serious one where he was driving a new car and accidentally ran someone over, the victim was sadly left disabled for life, having lost both legs and Andy's parents reportedly freaked out when they were aware of what happened and moved him as quick as they could out of the country. 

There was numerous stops and starts with his music career and he was constantly billed as 'The Bee Gee's Youngest Brother', this irked him but at the same time he understood that it was how it was supposed to be because a lot of people still didn't know who he was. With Barry's help he recorded the now classic song 'I Just Want To Be Your Everything'. Andy didn't have the confidence in his songwriting despite Barry encouraging him to keep going because he believed that he really had something. Barry was known to be an incredible songwriter who could basically write a hit in 15 minutes, right on the spot. Not to take away from Andy's talent because he was very gifted himself but Barry pretty much helped Andy a lot with his music career, not just songwriting and advice but backing vocals, harmonies and in some cases he would sing the song and Andy would sing over the top of it. 

There had been some drama in Andy's love life with a woman he had met in Australia, she was constantly being a thorn in his side and played on his vulnerabilities. When she blackmailed him into marrying her, the Gibb family (along with his friends) didn't approve and none of the Gibb family attended the wedding. The relationship was on and off for a while before they finally called it quits but not before she dropped a bombshell that she was pregnant. At the very height of Andy's success which was in the late 1970s to early 1980s, instead of being able to sit back and enjoy finally having made it, he still faced the constant comparisons to his brothers and accusations that Barry basically gave him a career despite all he had done to work so hard. Andy wrote songs which weren't released and this further frustrated him. He was a fantastic singer with a great personality and was very talented on the guitar but he didn't have the self belief and confidence like he wasn't really ready, he certainly struggled tremendously with fame. He'd struggled with being known as 'The Bee Gees Kid' and struggled even more so when the spotlight was fully placed on him. 

The music industry stuck a label on Andy claiming he was a teen heartthrob and he wasn't too comfortable with this either knowing fine well how short such careers tended to be in the music industry. When people went to see Andy perform they thoroughly enjoyed his performances and could see that he was very passionate and giving his all. He talked about how he enjoyed performing but also said that if there were times that things were getting a bit quiet he would perform some of the Bee Gee's songs and that would bring the audience to life. When he talked about singing his brothers songs, it wasn't negative, he loved singing the songs because he really wanted to be the fourth Bee Gee. There were moments when the Bee Gees were on tour and they would bring Andy on stage and it all seemed to work out great but still they decided it best that he didn't join them permanently. Robin mentioned in an interview that he didn't want Andy to be part of the band. It's actually very sad when you think about it and confusing at the same time. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this. Why did the brothers decide not to have him in the band? Do you think it would have worked? 

Andy was trying to make a name for himself and he did have some success but when he tried to continue the novelty was starting to wear off. There was initially excitement around him (he actually had a very impressive start to his career with three number one singles as a new artist) because he was the youngest Gibb brother and he was very handsome but for some reason, maybe because of the style of music and the change of music styles at the time going into the 1980s, his popularity was beginning to wane especially with the death of Disco music. He became involved with a TV show called 'Solid Gold' and had also been very popular in musical theatre productions. Despite things not going quite to plan with the music career, he still had a lot of public interest and a lot of things going for him in his career, he was also dating one of the most beautiful women in the world at the time, actress Victoria Principal. You would have thought that this would have helped make things a bit better for him because he did have some success but it just wasn't in the same vein as his brothers. His was a different type of road to success but still he wasn't happy within himself. 

Andy was never a complete angel but around this time the drugs took hold of him in a big way and he was in constant bouts of depression. It began affecting his career and his relationship as well as his health. He'd been back and forth to the hospital with heart issues after one of his drug binges and it wasn't enough to scare him. Victoria Principal ended the relationship because she couldn't cope with the drug use. People did try to help him but he shut himself away from people. The show 'Solid Gold' were supportive initially but it was very difficult for them because they had to tape two shows just in case Andy didn't show up to film. He became unreliable and eventually everything dried up. 

A friend noticed that he had a lot of letters on the dashboard of his car and he refused to open them, when asked what they were he said they were from his mother. His ex-wife from Australia turned up out of the blue and called him asking him to meet their daughter. At first Andy was unsure of what exactly this woman really wanted and assumed she was looking for money but she claimed that she just wanted him to see their daughter. He finally agreed and he met them, he got on well with his daughter and bought her a bracelet planning to keep in regular contact but sadly it was never to be. 

With his music career a no-go, his TV career and relationship gone, Andy Gibb was in a very lonely place as the late 1980s approached, it was a difficult decade for him just trying to keep his head above water as depression and addiction took full hold. In 1988 according to Barry, Robin and Maurice, Andy had been through hell but had gotten clean and was in talks to make a comeback musically, he really wanted to have another shot trying something different this time. Barry was considering having Andy more involved with the Bee Gee's providing that he was 100% clean, in the past Barry had tried to persuade Maurice and Robin about Andy joining the band but there were not comfortable with that idea. This time it did look like Andy was taking some very positive steps and had managed to make one of his dreams comes true, to be able to get a pilot's license to fly a plane. Andy studied and practiced and passed with flying colours (excuse the pun) and his brothers and family were so proud of him and believed that he was really on the road to recovery this time. He was in regular contact with his brothers and celebrated his 30th birthday in London with plans to make a new album. Things were starting to look positive despite the reality that Andy was in a huge amount of debt but plans had been put in place to help manage all of that with the help of his brothers and family. On and off since the late 70s, Andy had heart problems but never told his brothers, only his parents knew and they kept it a secret. The brothers knew that Andy suffered from chronic fatigue and could fall asleep at the drop of a hat but they just put that down to him working so hard and not sleeping properly. Andy kept his health issues to himself for most of his life. 

With things looking like they were turning a positive corner with Andy looking better than he had been in a long time, just days after his birthday things took a horrific turn. Andy was experiencing heart issues, the kind that he had endured for years but this time there was crippling stomach pains too. His mother took him to the hospital and he went through various tests, Andy asked his mother ''Could I die from this?''

The situation with the stomach pains that Andy was going through ended up being the very same condition that his brother Maurice would go through many years later. When Maurice fell ill, he was rushed to hospital where the stomach pains were quickly diagnosed, he went though some surgery and his life was saved. 

Whilst Andy was at the hospital things just went from bad to worse as the Doctors tried to find out the cause of the chest and stomach pains. Andy didn't reveal to the Doctors about his long history of drug and alcohol abuse so the Doctors were confused trying to figure out what was really going on with an otherwise very healthy looking young man. Andy's health sadly continued to decline and before anyone knew what was happening he just suddenly passed away at the age of just 30. His death was determined to have been caused by Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and other factors which were connected to his history of drug and alcohol abuse. His heart was so very weak and couldn't cope. This condition can be overcome depending on the severity of the inflammation and the individual's lifestyle and overall health. Andy had years of drinking and taking drugs to the extreme to the point that it all took over everything, his life, his career and his relationship. Everyone who knew him was devastated but part of them knew it was always a possibility because of how strong the addictions was. Various attempts at rehab, support etc was given, offered and tried out, nothing helped. 

An autopsy was performed on Andy and the coroner found that there was no drugs in his system, he really had been kicking the habit. The reason for his untimely death was due to the weakening of the heart muscle because of previous years of drug use. 

I've watched some interviews over the years that the Bee Gees have done and Barry always gets emotional when talking about Andy. Barry (although he wasn't to know what was going to happen) feels guilty about encouraging Andy to have a music career and wished that he had just done what he originally wanted, and that was to become a Doctor. 

It's such a shame that such a talented family have had so many heartbreaks and for Barry to see and feel the loss of each of his brothers. Despite the differences, the egos, the career problems and fighting over songwriting, attempts at solo careers and who's going to sing the lead on a certain song etc....at the end of the day, they all loved each other and they all contributed to an incredible legacy which will continue to live on and entertain for generations to come. 

I wish things had turned out different for Andy but I cannot imagine what it must have been like for someone who was not only born with quite an age gap from his brothers to those brothers being one of the biggest bands of all time. The pressure that he must have felt and the loneliness, it must've been very difficult. 

RIP Andy, Maurice and Robin. Thank you for sharing your incredible talent with us and for all of these musical masterpieces that you created. You will be remembered for all time. 

Andy's final resting place is located in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. On his memorial plaque along with his name and date of birth and death, is the inscription 'An Everlasting Love' which was one of his hit songs. The song was performed by Andy and written by Barry. 

Further Reading & Sources: 

- Arrow Through The Heart: A Biography of Andy Gibb | Book by Matthew Hild

- BeeGees | Official Website

- Andy Gibb | Wikipedia

- Andy Gibb | Find A Grave

- Bee Gees | Wikipedia

- Bee Gees: Children of The World | Book by Bob Stanley

- Andy Gibb | Documentary | Our History

- Bee Gees | Documentary | Cal Vid Youtube

- Andy Gibb | Biography

I hope this post, as sad as it is gave you a bit more of an insight into the career of the life and tragic death of Andy Gibb (if you were not already familiar), the music of Andy and the Bee Gee's will live on forever. I hope you will join me next time for another post. In the meantime I hope to see you on my Socials

Stay safe until next time x

*Please be aware that I will be sharing some disturbing details in this post and will be talking about s*icide, substance abuse, mental health issues, death and murder. I will, as always, try to be as sensitive as I can be without taking away from the facts of the individual cases* 

I'm sure many of us have watched the disturbing and hauntingly fascinating story (on Netflix) of the tragic death of Canadian student, Elisa Lam. If you haven't had the chance to watch it yet, I highly recommend you do. For those who are not familiar with Elisa's story, a few years ago a strange clip went viral on the internet of a young woman in an elevator acting quite strange. It appeared that the woman was in some sort of distress like she believed someone was following her. She would open and close the doors of the elevator  numerous times and was acting quite paranoid, almost as if she could see something that was not visible to us.

What was even more strange was that this very bright and popular young woman suddenly vanished into thin air not long after this incident. At the time she had been staying at The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, a place that had seen better days to put it politely. Rumours and theories went around, people knew that the hotel was very run down and the area (Skid Row) was infamous for crime, drugs, prostitution and homelessness, so some people believed she had been abducted or possibly had been experiencing some sort of bizarre paranormal event, but it wasn't long before the truth was soon to be known and it horrified and shocked everyone who had been looking into this case. 

The mystery of what had happened to Elisa came to a conclusion in one of the most unbelievable and utterly disturbing ways. The guests who had been staying in the Cecil hotel (some as tourists basically passing through and some were living there full time) had been complaining about how filthy the water was in the showers and from the taps (faucets), not only was the water discoloured, the smell was also disgusting. It's hard to believe that some people put up with this and continued to wash themselves using this water and actually boiled the water too as an attempt to drink it. Some of the people that lived in the hotel didn't have much money so they had no choice but to use this contaminated water. 

After something finally getting done about the water, an inspection of the water tank on the roof revealed a horrifying discovery. Elisa Lam had been found inside the tank, deceased and had been decomposing which was what had discoloured the water and created the horrific smell. This discovery was like something out of a horror movie, nobody could believe it and nobody could figure out how she had ended up in there. 

Rumours went wild again with some people believing she had been murdered and placed in there by the perpetrator. After an investigation it was reported by the authorities that Elisa had suffered from mental health problems and they believed that she had taken her own life. They claimed that the strange incidence in the elevator previously had been a psychotic episode due to Elisa not taking her medication. The whole situation was put down to being a very sad and tragic loss of a lovely young woman but a lot of people didn't believe this was the truth. To this day some people believe that there is more to the story and that Elisa was murdered. It's a case that continues to divide opinion. 

The shocking story of Elisa may have brought the world's attention to The Cecil Hotel but this wasn't the only shocking and disturbing event to have happened at the hotel. In fact, this hotel was infamous for being a hotel of horrors with a long history of suicides, mysterious deaths, crime and even serial killers who had lived at the hotel for some time, two of which you may be familiar with, Jack Unterweger and 'The Night Stalker' aka (who I have talked about a few times on this blog) Richard Ramirez. 

Richard Ramirez had been living at the hotel whilst he was actively carrying out some of his horrific murders. When he was finally caught for his despicable crimes (thanks to the determination and bravery of members of the public who had spotted him, grabbed him and held him until the police arrived) he had been living at the Cecil at the time. It was reported that on one occasion he had returned to the hotel after committing a sickening crime to which he was covered in blood and had removed his clothing outside of the hotel and dumped the items in a bin before casually walking into the hotel still with blood on him in front of onlookers but nobody said a word. 

To see someone looking dishevelled, covered in blood or high on drugs was nothing out of the ordinary at the Cecil, it was a regular occurrence. Jack Unterweger was an Austrian serial killer who ended up staying at the Cecil supposedly because he had heard that Richard Ramirez had stayed there previously and the location being so easy for access to sex workers who had been working the streets of Skid Row. Like Richard Ramirez, he was a combination of intelligence, evilness and sickness. He sexually assaulted and murdered numerous women who had been working as sex workers. It's unknown for sure how many women he did kill as he moved around quite a bit and there are cases that he has been linked to but remain unsolved. Authorities believe he has been responsible for 12 murders but possibly more. 

For the horrible crimes he was proven to have committed, he was found guilty of and sentenced to life imprisonment but on the very same night that he was to begin spending his evil life behind bars, he cowardly took his own life by hanging himself in 1994. His case is a whole roller coaster and if you are interested in me covering more of his story in depth please let me know. 

One of the sad facts about the Cecil Hotel was that way back in 1924 when it was first built, it really was quite an extraordinary building with beautiful decor. A lot of time, effort and money went into the creation of what was to be a place where successful people as well as tourists could stay, experience luxury and fantastic customer service. Sadly within two years it was all to fall apart as the great depression hit and that particular area of Los Angeles fell into a dramatic decline. All of a sudden homelessness was at an all time high, people lost their jobs, their homes and ended up on the street, turning to drugs to escape reality and working in prostitution to be able to eat. 

The area spilled into the hotel and the well-to-do guests were soon replaced with drug addicts, criminals, pimps and sex workers. The hotel's reputation continued to spiral in the local press with constant stories of suicides and crime connected to the hotel. On one occasion a woman jumped out of the window of her Cecil hotel room and had struck a man who had been walking along the pavement below, both of them died instantly. A 19 year old girl had been staying there with her boyfriend when she woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating stomach pains only to find that whilst she was in the bathroom, she was pregnant and about to deliver a baby. The girl gave birth and assumed the baby was deceased and (please scroll down further if you would like to avoid this horrific part) for some reason decided to throw the baby out of the hotel window and went back to bed. It was later revealed that the baby had indeed been alive at the time the poor child had been thrown out of the window and this girl was examined and deemed psychologically disturbed. She was placed in a mental health facility. 

There were numerous stories of people taking poison in the hotel rooms as well as various other methods of ending their lives. Some people who died in their rooms had been living there at the time and some people specifically went there to end their lives. 

For years the Cecil Hotel just continued on to be this place of horror and an attempt at a revamp and name change to 'Stay on The Main' did nothing to improve anything. Because of the significance of the building itself, it had been seen as a bit of a marvel when it had first been built and many believed that it was a very important part of American history and architecture. A lot of people didn't want to give up on it and so another revamp was planned in more recent years but during this process it had to be halted due to the Covid pandemic. 

A decision was finally made in 2024 that the building was just not going to cut it as a respectable hotel. The streets of Skid Row has sadly continued to be home to some of the most vulnerable people in America, crime continues and anyone who had thoughts of restoring the Cecil hotel to it's original glory realised that no money would be made to continue to have the building as a hotel. So it was again sold and the decision was made to turn the 14 floor building with it's 700 rooms, into an affordable housing complex. 

The building will never return to the glory of it's infancy but a lot of people still hold it close to their hearts despite the tragedies and dark history that continues to haunt it. I do think that it reflects a sign of hope in my opinion because they could have just demolished this beautiful building but instead they used this historical place to house vulnerable people who had nowhere else to go. That can only been seen as a positive thing. 

Los Angeles is a place like many others, it has it's good areas, it's beauty, it's success and it is often nicknamed 'The City of Angels', some people feel like their dreams have come true when they go there. For others it is a place of struggle, of hardship and hell. It's always heartbreaking when you see someone having to live on the street or struggle to buy food, 2025 you wonder how can it be possible, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that I have given up with the government. Having worked with homeless people I know how easy it can be to find yourself out on the street because you can't afford to pay your bills. It could happen to any one of us. All we can do is pray and help where we can as it is hard in this day and age for all of us just trying to get by.

So, what are your thoughts about The Cecil Hotel? Please leave your comments below or email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

Further Reading & Sources:

- The Cecil Hotel: Article | LA Times

- Elisa Lam: Article | USA Today

- Richard Ramirez | Wikipedia

- Jack Unterweger: Article | Mubi

- The Cecil Hotel | Wikipedia

- Skid Row | Wikipedia

- The Cecil Hotel: Article | Discovery

- Behind The Door | Book by Amy Price

- American Hotel Story | Book by Richard Estep

- The Cecil Hotel | Book by Chris Swinney

RIP Elisa and to those who's lives have sadly ended due to personal struggle, murder and addiction. 

I hope you will join me in my next post and in the meantime, please stay safe, know that I appreciate your support and I hope to see you on my Socials x

When it comes to dramatic and shocking downfalls in wrestling history, the decline of WWE's 'First Diva' (as she is often referred to) Sunny, is a story that will forever baffle any hardcore wrestling fan. Tammy Lynn Sytch (which is her real name) seemed to have it all in the mid 1990's, originally she hadn't planned a career in wrestling but it was through her boyfriend, wrestler Chris Candido that she became involved.

Chris and Tammy had been teenage sweethearts and had a very rocky relationship from the start so when they eventually got married, people were surprised. To some people it looked as if Chris was more besotted with Tammy than she was with him and she had a reputation for being quite full of herself. Tammy had the looks and natural charisma but Chris was showing a lot of promise in the ring and many people commented on how great a technical wrestler he actually was but when the pair were together it was always 'Sunny' (Tammy's character) who would steal the show. 

Tammy was born in Matawan, New Jersey on the 7th of December 1972 and came from a respectable family. Her parents were firm but fair and as she grew up she was not only academically gifted but she had the personality and looks to match. When she got together with Chris the pair were inseparable and they basically grew up together which was great in some ways and not in others. The relationship could be very toxic at times and when Sunny's career really began to take off with WWE, it seemed that not only did their relationship suffer but their addictions began to spiral out of control. They did everything together as a couple and that also meant taking drugs and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. 

Tammy's popularity in WWE skyrocketed like nobody had seen before with a female in the wrestling world. There had been amazing women involved in the wrestling world in the past but Tammy's character 'Sunny' seemed to have that x-factor and was not only sexy and intelligent, she was quite feisty too and could stand her ground in what was still at the time, a very male dominated field. Men and teenage boys were obsessed with her, girls and women wanted to be like her, it seemed she could do no wrong but it soon became clear that the more fame and adoration she received, the worst she became. 

She was certainly a massive hit with the fans and was making WWE a lot of money as well as helping the viewing figures go through the roof. She was hailed as being WWE royalty and was noted as being the most downloaded celebrity on the internet in 1996. Her popularity was like that of Pamela Anderson in her hay day, the guys just went crazy for her and basically fanboy over her whenever she walked in the ring or presented a WWE segment. 

Things started to turn sour in regards to her reputation amongst other wrestlers, she began reportedly having several flings with various wrestlers, most notably, Shawn Michaels and the pair practically rubbed it in Chris's face. Everybody knew about it and Shawn was a big ticket at the time so it was a very awkward situation. Chis knew about the affair and Tammy even admitted later on that she and Shawn would have sex backstage whilst other wrestlers would keep a look-out incase Chris appeared. It was all pretty humiliating for Chris who had some sympathy from his colleagues in the beginning but this sympathy soon faded as Chris was proving himself to be a bit of a wimp when it came to standing up, confronting the pair of them and leaving Tammy. He was so besotted with her that he just let it happen. The fling with Shawn didn't last and soon there were rumours flying around that she had slept with more of the guys. To this day some of the wrestlers rumoured to have been involved with her have denied these rumours and also denied claims that she has made publicly and previously herself. 

As is the case with certain personalities who believe their own hype, Tammy started letting things slide in a big way, she began to throw herself into her addictions and was becoming unreliable. The fans were tiring of her too and it was looking like her days were numbered at WWE especially when a new blonde bombshell came on board. It was no secret that Tammy (aka 'Sunny') felt threatened by female wrestler 'Sable'. Sable was the new blonde in town and the fans soon became obsessed with her, Sable merchandise was outselling Sunny's merchandise and Tammy wasn't happy with the competition. 

Tammy's battles with substance addiction and alcohol have been noted through the years and her time at WWE came to an end. She tried to regain some of the glory of the early days and had joined other wrestling promotions but was still having issues and ended up being fired. Soon she had a reputation for not only being full of herself and ruthless in her approach to others, but her addictions were so out of control that she didn't even bother hiding it. Chris was struggling too and things took an even tragic turn when after an accident in the ring, Chris ended up in hospital for a routine operation. He was expected to have the surgery and then recover for a while and return to what he had worked hard for all of his life but it sadly wasn't to be. Chris suffered complications in his recovery from the surgery and developed acute pneumonia. He sadly passed away on the 28th of April 2005. He had reportedly been sober just before he had died and was on the road to recovery with his battle against addiction. It was a sad and tragic loss of a promising talent who had so much more to give. 

As for Tammy, she was understandably devastated by Chris's death and her career and reputation in the wrestling world never recovered, in fact, it is forever destroyed due to her selfish actions which ended up with an innocent person losing their life. The downward spiral of Tammy just got worse as time went on. Despite many highlights in her career and being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, she still continued to spiral out of control. She was now a slave to her addictions and soon found herself on the wrong side of the law so many times that wrestling fans have commented that they'd given up trying to keep track of what was going on or had lost track of what was happening with Tammy, it was one disaster after another and WWE did try to step in with offers of support and rehab on numerous occasions but she refused to accept the help.

She just kept getting into more and more mess with the constant arrests and indulging in addictions that it was sadly no surprise that she was either going to end up dead herself or accidentally killing someone. Well, as I write this it may come as no surprise (and you will no doubt already know if you are a wrestling fan) but Tammy is in prison serving a 17 year prison sentence (she was sentenced in November of 2023) for being under the influence and speeding in her car which resulted in her crashing into the back of a 75 year old man's vehicle. The man sadly died as a result of her actions. 

Tammy is currently 52 years old and the years of alcoholism and substance misuse have taken a hard toll on what was once a beautiful face. Everybody ages and if she had taken good care of herself (and others) she would have still been beautiful and would have kept her legacy a respectful one, maybe working in some capacity today for WWE. But she threw it all away and the sad thing is, the help was there, the wake-up calls were there. How many times do you have to be arrested before you realise what you are actually doing to yourself and those around you? How could you go from having a glittering career where you are adored to just allow yourself to continue to destroy all that you are and all that you worked for? 

Was it too much fame going to her head? Did she just have too big an ego? Those who know her best say that she had always been over-confident about herself and when her career with WWE really took off, it all just made her worse and it was like nobody mattered but her, Chris was pushed to the side and humiliated when she slept with other wrestlers and now she's in a prison cell and she has nobody to blame but herself. 

What are your thoughts on Tammy aka 'Sunny'? I would love to hear your thoughts either below n the comments section or by email: jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

RIP Chris, you will never be forgotten and thoughts also to the 75 year old man who sadly lost his life, RIP x

Further Reading & Sources:

- Tammy Lynn Sytch: Article | Daily Mail

- Sunny: Biography | WWE

- WWE Hall of Fame | WWE

- WWE Hall of Fame | Wikipedia

- Tammy Lynn Sytch | Wikipedia

- Chris Candido | Wikipedia

- Chris Candido | Pro Wrestling

- Chris Candido | IMDB

- Tammy Lynn Sytch | Reddit Discussion Thread

- Tammy Lynn Sytch: Article | Sky News 

- A Star Shattered: The Rise & Fall of A Wrestling Diva | Book by Tammy Lynn Sytch

- Chris Candido | Find A Grave

Thank you if you have been with me the past nine weeks as I have looked back over some of the dark events and moments in wrestling history, I really appreciate it. This post was the last in this series.....for the time being. I will be writing about more moments in wrestling history in a future series but for now I will be taking a break for a few days. It won't be long break, I have my next series planned and I hope that you will join me for that. 

In the meantime, I thank you again for all of your support and I hope to see you on my Socials 

Until next time, stay safe and I'll see you in the next post x

There's no end of dark and disturbing stories from the world of wrestling, that's why I could fill hundreds of blog posts with endless shocking details of events, murders, scandals, steroid related deaths, cover-ups, mysteries and so much more. In this seventh instalment of my Dark History From The World of Wrestling series, this story is another one of those that is both shocking, disturbing and will leave you with a feeling of anger, injustice and scratching your head in disbelief. I am of course (as you can see from the title) going to be talking about the legendary Bruiser Brody. 

Delving into these stories in the past seven weeks has been like an education in wrestling history for me. I thought I knew a lot of the details of tragic events and the sad endings to some of our legends who are no longer with us but I have learned so much more along the way. In many ways I'm grateful to have gained so much more knowledge, but in another way I am sad because the details of things that have happened have turned out to be so much worse than I originally thought. 

The murder of Bruiser Brody was brought to my attention when I was putting together a list of who I was going to cover and I knew the basics of what had happened to him and that was bad enough. The more I researched the more in disbelief I was at the cold, dark-hearted and self-centred way some people can be and this was something that was quite prevalent in the wrestling world. So many people wanted to get to the top and they would stop at nothing to get there. As well as huge egos, competitive streaks that were off the charts....throw in steroids, money and matches and you potentially have a disaster on your hands. Some people get into wrestling because it is their passion, they do it for the sport and some do it for the money, the power and the fame. Some do it for all of those things but what happens when tensions and rivalries go too far and someone ends up losing their life? Is it worth murder?, cover-ups? and money? No, but in the tragic story of Bruiser Brody you find a legend who was taken out by a fellow wrestler, and other wrestlers who covered it all up. You also find in this story an incredible friendship and a true hero who did his best to protect his friend as well as speak up in an effort to bring the people responsible for his death to justice.  

Bruiser Brody was a man who never needed an introduction, at 6ft 8, weighing 300 pounds he was a mountain of a man who was intimidating and could be tough in the ring and with fellow wrestlers, but at home he was like a teddy bear to those who knew him privately. His shocking death at the age of just 42 on the 17th of July 1988 has forever left a painful mark in wrestling history. Brody was murdered and the people he thought were his friends and colleagues covered it up to protect their own careers and further their own ends. Only one man stood up and tried to do what was right and that was the legendary Tony Atlas. He had a nickname 'The Black Superman' and I think that's very apt for him. 

Tony and Brody had a friendship that had gone back years, first beginning in the 1970s when Brody first appeared on the wrestling scene. They were both old school and helped inspire some of our favourite wrestlers of present time as well as helping shape the world of wrestling to what it is today. Brody had earned his stripes participating in many wrestling promotions all over the world, born Frank Donald Goodish on the 18th of June 1946 in Michigan, USA he was always quite stocky, even as a child. he excelled in sports and put 100% into everything he did. At school he played football and later became a sportswriter before dedicating himself fully to a career of wrestling. He soon found himself under the guidance of wrestling legend Fritz Von Erich so to say that he started at the top was an understatement but it was also his natural strength, build and ability that enabled him to progress and take part in various promotions all over the world. 

Brody was a powerhouse of a wrestler but he could also be a diva too, especially with his attitude around wrestling promoters and bookers. It was no secret that he wasn't happy with some of the paychecks he received over the years but push comes to shove, when he was needed to help draw a crowd he would throw himself into the matches. Brody was a popular wrestler and a fan favourite he knew the industry inside and out and had bags of experience he had accumulated over the years wrestling as far away as Japan for some time. He was a happy family man who doted on his wife and son. 

The incredible contribution to wrestling history that Brody has given is undeniable, despite sadly passing away at just 42 he left behind a huge legacy. He had been everywhere from (WCW) World Class Championship Wrestling to (AJPW) All Japan Pro Wrestling, to (WWWF) the Worldwide Wrestling Federation. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as well as being included in the St Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame, Southern Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newspaper Hall of Fame. 

In July of 1988, Brody along with his wrestling colleagues were in Puerto Rico preparing for a show at a popular venue. it was tipped to be a huge turn out with the fans and that was as understatement, the parking lot was packed and there was fans everywhere. Whenever Bruiser Brody was on the bill to perform, so many fans would be excited to see him in action. At this point in his life, he was a happily married man who had already established his name in the wrestling world and had a son who he adored. There was no love lost with fellow wrestler Jose Gonzalez but the two men had learned to tolerate each other (or so it appeared) and both had been in each other's company on the run up to Brody's shocking death. A friend from way back in the beginning of his career, Tony Atlas, was also there. 

Tony was on his way to the venue that night with a couple and on the way out of his hotel he spotted Brody and Dutch Mantell sitting outside of his hotel. When Tony asked them why they were sitting there and Brody explained that they were waiting for Jose Gonzalez which surprised Tony. Tony ended up convincing Brody and Dutch to get into the car with them and head to the venue to which they agreed. The vehicle was packed and Brody had to sit in the front because he was too big and muscular to sit in the back.

When they got to the venue, they took their bags into the dressing room to find Jose Gonzalez, Carlos Colon and another wrestler sitting close to each other but saying nothing, the air was tense. Jose got up and walked out of the room. Tony Atlas is an incredible artist and would love to sketch drawings in his spare time. As Tony sat down he began putting the finishing touches to his latest creation before moving on to a drawing of Brody's son that Brody had requested. Tony was so passionate about his work (and still is) that he would refuse to take any money for his pieces. He claimed that he just loved creating art. 

So, just as Brody had produced a photograph of of his son and Jose came back into the dressing room requesting to have a quiet word with Brody. Tony noticed that Jose had a white towel wrapped around his arm. Jose approached the shower and Brody followed him and after a short space of time there was a  dull yell. At first Tony and the others assumed that Jose had punched Brody in the stomach but it soon became clear as Tony tried to keep the pair apart that Jose had stabbed Brody. Tony explained in an interview how incredibly difficult it was trying to hold on to Brody on one hand and trying to keep Jose away with the other. Jose was holding the knife up in the air (that was still dripping with Brody's blood) and as he swung the knife trying to get at Brody again, he clipped his ponytail. It was a miracle at that point that he didn't cut Brody's neck which was what was believed to have been his intention, he really wanted this man dead. Carlos Colon swooped past Tony and Brody and pinned Jose up against the wall telling him to stop. 

There was no way Brody could have defended himself from the unsuspected attack, he followed Jose into the shower area to have the private chat, still holding the picture of his son in one hand, and his gym bag in the other. There's no doubt that if Brody had been aware or planning to harm Jose in any way, he wouldn't have walked in there with his hands full, unknowingly leaving himself open to attack. The way in which Jose stabbed him was cowardly but also in the way that he had caught Brody with the very sharp knife as he aimed from the side. It all happened so fast. Tony was an incredible and brave friend in that moment and as he tried to protect Brody, Brody clung to him as he lay on the floor saying ''Don't let them hurt me any more.'' Tony assured him that nobody was going to come near him and that he would keep him safe until the ambulance arrived. 

In the middle of the commotion, Carlos (who turned out to be another treacherous snake who was also in on the whole plan with Jose) tried to come closer to Brody to which Tony made it clear to back off, he told him ''You come over here, I'm going to knock your freakin head right off your shoulders. Anybody come over here and I'll knock their head off their shoulders.''

Carlos tried to plead with Tony that he was just wanting to check if Brody was ok but Tony knew these guys were not to be trusted, he saw their faces when he saw them all sat together when they first walked in. the whole thing was a set-up. Tony was determined to protect Brody and get him out of there as soon as possible when the paramedics arrived. Brody was still conscious at this time as he tugged on Tony's trouser leg telling him it was ok for Carlos to come over to see him. Tony kept his eye on Carlos as Carlos asked Brody ''Is there anything I can do for you?.'' 

This was the level of callousness Carlos and the others were at. To ask a dying man who you've helped set up, what his last wishes were and furthermore, continue to be complicit in what was to become the cover-up of the circumstances of this man's murder just shows you how coldhearted they were. Brody responded to Carlos with ''Take care of my family.'' 

Tony was trying to keep Brody calm and stop the blood flow as much as possible. Brody was losing a lot of blood and some of his intestines were visible, it was an agonising wait because the ambulance didn't reach them for nearly 2 hours due to the fact that the parking lot was packed full of cars and fans who were still coming into the venue. The show had not begun yet and people were still arriving so it was pure chaos. Eventually a female and male paramedic arrived at the scene and they struggled to lift Brody on to the stretcher. Tony helped and managed to get him on to which Brody, despite the sheer pain he must have been going through, made a joke as Tony was lifting him ''Don't drop me.'' 

Tony responded ''Brother, I curl more than you weigh,'' When Brody was on the ambulance one of the paramedics asked who was going to accompany Brody to the hospital. Without hesitation, Tony climbed on board but dragged another wrestler (who was not connected to the murder plot of Brody) on to the ambulance despite the man saying that he didn't want to be involved 

As soon as the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Tony was horrified to see that nobody seemed to be taking the situation with Brody seriously in Puerto Rico and this was because apparently, the medical staff had previously seen that many stabbings that it had become as common as the cold. Tony was not a man to just sit and wait, he wanted his friend seen to asap, he was losing blood, time was of the essence. He spotted a Doctor sauntering down the lobby reading a newspaper and he told him to please attend to Brody. The Doctor had a half-assed attitude and ended up leaving the room not appearing to be in any hurry. Tony went after him and picked the Doctor up and told him straight that he WILL give Brody the treatment he needed. With that, the Doctor examined Brody properly and could see that this was a matter of emergency so Brody was rushed to the emergency room to be operated on. 

Tony waited an agonising hour which felt like a lifetime, not sure what the outcome was going to be. At this point, Brody was so strong that he had held on for so many hours. It was a miracle that he was still alive after Jose first stabbing him and then having to wait, bleeding profusely until the ambulance arrived nearly two hours later. a Doctor finally came back to the room and fortunately told Tony that Brody was in a stable condition, his vitals were fine and it all looked good. It was great news and basically a miracle. The Doctor told Tony, that Brody was going to be pretty much sleeping after having the surgery and suggested he could leave, get some sleep, some food and return in the morning. Tony didn't feel 100% about leaving but he felt that Brody was in good hands. 

Instead of going back to the hotel, Tony returned to the venue because he had been scheduled to participate in a match that night with the legendary wrestler, The Iron Shiek. As he walked into the dressing room that had been the scene of the horrendous crime just hours before, he recalled being disgusted at the sound of laughing and cheering voices. The same monsters who were all part of the attempted demise of Brody seemed to be in high spirits despite the fact also that Brody's blood was still on the floor and tiles. 

Tony did his match with the Iron Shiek and returned to the dressing room to see a policeman there. It turned out that everyone there had given a statement, a completely different version of events and a fake story about a crazed fan stabbing Brody. Tony tried to tell the policeman the truth but found himself out in the cold as the others were trying to create a cover-up. With so many witnesses saying this horrific result was by the actions of a crazed fan the policeman could only go with what the majority were saying. It also was revealed later that Carlos was a huge figure on that particular island who had a lot of money and powerful friends in high places, even in politics. 

Tony decided he was not going to back down and planned to make a proper statement himself and take another fellow wrestler with him for added protection, not that he needed it. He probably did this as way of having someone else witness that he had reported the truth to the police. Tony later went to the police with none other than Sika Anoa-i (for the younger wrestling fans, this is Roman Reign's late and legendary father). Sika actually volunteered to go with Tony. Watching the interview in which Tony was telling this story made me smile because he said that Sika (who was also built like a man mountain) was tough and if you had Sika Anoa-i with you, you didn't need anybody else. 

Tony decided to go back to his hotel room but as he made his way up the stairs he was stopped by a wrestler Savio Vega, who was stood in front of him holding Tony's bag. In the confusion Tony asked him if everything was ok and Savio told him that there was a bunch of guys waiting for him in his room and it sounded like they were planning to kill him. Tony left the hotel and to this very day he is forever grateful to Savio for saving his life for they were indeed waiting for Tony because they knew he was telling the truth about what had happened. 

After spending hours and hours walking around, Tony did a lot of thinking and decided that he was going to go to his hotel and just confront them, to hell with the consequences, he would fight for his life if needs be. When he got to the hotel room, there was nobody to be seen. He just wanted to get off of that island. Brody was still in the hospital and Tony believed him to be stable and in safe hands as he got on the plane and travelled home. However, he was later to find out that Brody had shockingly died reportedly as a result of his injuries which further confused Tony as to why the Doctors seemed so confident that all was ok. 

Tony later revealed that he was later told that after he had left the hospital, two guys apparently had arrived looking for Brody and confronted the medical staff. These men threatened the staff to stop working on Brody and the next thing anyone knew, Bruiser Brody (real name: Frank Donald Goodish) was deceased at the age of 42. 

Fans and fellow wrestlers who had known Brody since the 70s, were heartbroken. His family were overcome with grief as one could imagine. There was a pathetic farce of a trial which was unbelievable and just goes to show how corrupt certain people can be. Jose Gonzales got away with the murder, it was declared self-defense. Apparently the jury didn't seem to care that there was a true story to all of this and the fact that they men had lied, originally telling the police that it was a crazed fan. It was obvious what had gone on but witnesses were not even contacted until later. There was a convenient delay in information getting to them so they didn't find out that they had been summoned to trial until the trial had come to a conclusion. Tony, who was the key witness to the whole situation, was not even called to testify. It was a whole cover-up and they let these people away with murder. Jose may have been the one with the knife (who physically stabbed Brody and wanted to keep on stabbing the poor man and had to be held back) but the others helped set it all up and covered it all up too. There was no investigation as to what went on in the hospital as soon as Tony was told to leave. 

To this very day, nobody had been held accountable for the death of Bruiser Brody. The truth has come out and it has spread far and wide thanks to the internet, a lot of wrestling fans know the full truth now but these men never faced justice and a young married father lost his life at the age of 42. The people responsible are now in their 70s and it's highly unlikely now that they'll face justice in a court of law but the public know them and see them for what they truly are. Brody is continually remembered, not only for his shocking death but for his incredible legacy as one of the all time wrestling greats. Tony Atlas is a global treasure in my opinion who deserves to be protected. What an incredible person Tony is and even to this day he has never changed his story of the events and he talks of Brody with such fondness. 

It's such a sad story and another example of how you think you can trust people but you just never know what some people's true intentions are. Jose and Brody had their moments, there was a lot of tense moments between the pair of them but on the run up to the murder, they appeared to be friends. Jose had spent some time with Brody that week and all was well, obviously he was planning his murder the whole time. I guess these heartless men didn't count on Tony Atlas standing up against them and so they ended up planning to murder him too,  thankfully they failed. If there's any justice in this, it is that these guys are remembered as murderers, Tony and Brody are thought of as heroes. To think that Brody was holding the picture of his beloved son is heartbreaking but he loved his family so much and his character 'Bruiser Brody' was so much different to the man he was at home. His family miss him dearly as do many of his fans. It was a terrible waste of a huge talent that never should have happened. In a dressing room full of witnesses and Tony was the only one with the decency and bravery to stand up for what was right. 

RIP Frank Donald Goodish, your legacy continues. RIP also to Sika Anoa'i . I also wish the best for Brody's family, Tony Atlas and Savio Vega. 

Brody was cremated and his ashes were given to his family. 

What are your thoughts on this very dark part of wrestling history? I would love to read them below or by email (jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com)

Further reading and sources: 

- Bruiser Brody | WWE Superstars

- Bruiser Brody | Wikipedia

- Brody: The Triumph And Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel by Larry Mattysik & Barbara Goodish

- Tony Atlas Interview | Monte & The Pharaoh

- Tony Atlas | Wikipedia

- WWE | Wikipedia

- Jose Gonzalez | Wikipedia

- WWE Network 

- WWE Encyclopedia by DK

- WWE 50 by Kevin Sullivan

- WWE Ultimate Superstar Guide by Jake Black

- Tony Atlas: Too Much Too Soon by Tony Atlas

- The History of Pro Wrestling: And 30 Iconic Personalities by Taylor K Reade

I am nearly at the end of this series, I have two wrestlers to write about in my upcoming posts, please let me know what your thoughts have been on this series and if there's anyone you would like to see me cover. 

In the meantime, I hope you will join me on my Socials and I hope you will come back for the eight instalment in my Dark History From The World of wrestling series. Stay safe and take care until next time....x