Born Aug. 31, 1970 in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, NY, Gibson’s love of performing started early when she appeared on stage in community theater productions at the age of five. Within a few years, she was singing at the Metropolitan Opera House as part of the children’s chorus. By age 12, she was appearing on Broadway and already beginning to pursue a recording career. With all of this going on, the ambitious 14-year-old made her big screen debut, briefly, as a girl celebrating her birthday party at Tavern on the Green in the hit comedy “Ghostbusters” (1984).

The hard working Gibson, with some help from her equally tenacious mother, recorded a demo tape of all original compositions and went knocking on record company doors. Atlantic Records liked what they heard and after signing the teen to a contract in 1987, released her first single, “Only in My Dreams.” She was 16 years old. The song went to the top of the charts, followed by several more hits, including “Shake Your Love” and “Foolish Beat” – making her the youngest person to write, record and produce a number one song. Her debut album, Out of the Blue,” sold five million copies.

Years before young Britney and Christina, Gibson proved to be a wholesome teen hit machine when her follow-up album, Electric Youth, yielded yet another number one single, “Lost In Your Eyes.” With her girl-next-door looks and goofy hats, she became a household name and her music, the staple of many a high school prom. Things got interesting when fellow teen pop sensation Tiffany competed week-to-week on the Billboard charts with Gibson, giving rise to “who do you like better?” conversations on school buses and locker rooms across the country.

After a good three year run, Gibson’s popularity waned, affecting her record sales. Her first LP of the new decade, Anything Is Possible, made little headway on the charts. Each successive album, starting with Body and Soul in 1993 and Think With Your Heart in 1995 sold less copies than the last. In the era of grunge and Alanis Morissette-type angst, Gibson’s girlish voice no longer made an impact. So the multi-talented performer simply hung up the mic and returned to Broadway in 1992, landing a role in “Les Miserables.” Gibson was quick to assure the media that even though music critics saw her return to the stage as a step down, it was actually in keeping with her original aspirations. She did not limit herself to stage work, taking on small television guest roles where she played pop idols on the syndicated “Street Justice”(1991-93) in 1992 and the sitcom “Step by Step” (ABC, 1991-98) in 1995.

Back on stage, she starred as Sandy in the London West End production of “Grease,” breaking box office records with this particular production, followed by her switching parts to play Rizzo in the American tour. After playing Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl,” she played Belle – receiving her best reviews and the most press she’d enjoyed in a long while – in the acclaimed 1998 Broadway smash “Beauty and the Beast.”

A string of stage appearances followed, including title roles in “Gypsy,” opposite Betty Buckley and “Cinderella,” opposite Eartha Kitt. She turned in slightly racy, more adult turns as Velma in “Chicago” and Sally Bowles in “Cabaret.”

But Gibson never strayed too far from what made her famous. Between regular appearances on “The Howard Stern Show,” and guest appearances on “Hollywood Squares” (1998-2004) and “That 80s Show” (Fox, 2002), she embraced her pop star roots. She also appeared as a judge on Fox’s kiddie talent/reality show, “American Juniors” (2003). But as part of a simultaneous effort to shake her “Tiger Beat” persona, Gibson officially dropped the moniker of “Debbie” in favor of “Deborah,” pointing out that the former was insisted upon by record executives way back when. To further demolish any teeny bopper delusions, she posed nude in Playboy magazine to coincide with the release of a new single, “Naked” in 2005.

In 2006, she joined the cast of “Skating With Celebrities” on Fox, partnering with former Canadian World Figure Skater Kurt Browning. She and Browning made it to the third episode before being cut.