Donald Gibb's Loved Ones Shared Details About His Cause of Death at 71

Fans of the Revenge of the Nerds franchise might remember Donald Gibb best as the lovable, imposing bully named Ogre. To his friends and family, he was more of a gentle giant. His family shared publicly that the actor has died. He was 71 years old and led a quiet life in his later years. But what was Donald Gibb's cause of death?

After the Revenge of the Nerds movies came out as what would be considered cult classics years later, Donald continued to work in television and movies. He appeared in shows like Days of Our Lives and Step by Step, and later, he was in the Will Smith action movie Hancock. He also lent his name to video games later in life. For the most part, he remained active in show business, even if he seemed to prefer his privacy.

Donald's son, Travis Gibb, told TMZ that his father died from complications related to health issues. He didn't specify what kind of health struggles Donald endured over the years, but he did tell the outlet that the death was not sudden. Donald reportedly died in his home surrounded by loved ones.

Travis and the rest of Donald's family told TMZ, "Donald loved the Lord and his family, friends, and fans with all his heart, and they ask for prayers and privacy during this difficult time."

Because Donald lived a private life, he did not publicly share any diagnosis with his fans prior to his death. However, he did remain active in connecting with them.

Donald appeared on the Youngstown Studio podcast in 2025 and said that Revenge of the Nerds was still important to him, years later.

"My fans have saved my life. I was in a very bad way," he said at the time. "My buddy Sean took care of me and made sure I was OK. But after my divorce, I did a convention, and it was like getting back on the horse. All these people are just wonderful."

He was once active on Cameo and had made hundreds of videos for fans. His last posted reviews were from 2025, however, so it looks like whatever health struggles Donald went through might have prevented him from continuing to make the videos. Donald also regularly attended fan conventions until the end of 2025.

In 2025 alone, though, he was a celebrity guest at nine different conventions. Per his website, he was scheduled to attend one at the end of 2025 and then in 2026, but those were both canceled. Again, this could be due to Donald's health, but no one attached to him has come out to explain as much.

According to his website, Donald was a "devoted father to Moana, Lehua, Travis, Mykkal, and Olivia." His son Travis first shared the news of his death. According to the Detroit Free Press, Donald was married to his wife Jacqueline Bauer at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife and their five children.