Gabriel Trupin(1969-1995)

Gabriel Trupin was born in Walnut Creek, California, USA. He grew up in a musical family, surrounded by jazz, blues, and R&B royalty, his step-father, drummer Eddie Marshall, and brother, jazz & blues guitarist Reevan Trupin, among them. Gabriel was first and foremost a dancer, graduating from the San Francisco School of the Arts, dancing with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in concert with Debbie Allen, Gloria Estefan, Vanessa Williams, Queen Latifah, The Jackson Family, and with the Adidas Dance Team. He appeared in numerous music videos for stars, including Janet Jackson and Madonna. Gabriel was a dancer in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and What's Love Got To Do With It (1993), an actor in Doctor Strain the Body Snatcher (1991), and a dancer on Madonna's Blonde Ambition World Tour, about which a documentary, Madonna: Truth or Dare (also known as In Bed with Madonna internationally), was filmed and released. Gabrial and two other dancers sued Madonna for violation of contract and privacy over the film's release. The case was settled out of court. Gabriel died at age 26 of AIDS in December of 1995 at his home in San Francisco, California.