Poet Laureate of Colorado Memorialized on Late Night TV

Andrea Gibson, a writer and activist who was given the honor of being named Poet Laureate of Colorado, passed away on July 14, 2025, after a battle with ovarian cancer at the age of 49.

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Recently, comedian and Gibson’s close friend and collaborator, Tig Notaro, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she paid tribute to the late poet by reading some of her work on the program.

Andrea Gibson: Poet Laureate of Colorado

Born in Maine in 1975, Andrea Gibson moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1999, where she pursued her passion for writing and performed spoken word at various establishments across Boulder and Denver.

A member of the LGBTQ community, Gibson was also an activist for equal rights and was named Poet Laureate of Colorado by Governor Jared Polis in 2023.

Unfortunately, Gibson would be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 and would lose her battle with the disease roughly four years later.

Poet Laureate of Colorado Memorialized on Late Night TV

Gibson’s friend, comedian Tig Notaro, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier this month to promote her documentary "Come See Me in the Good Light," a film that centers around the late poet. The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was named the winner of the festival, and will be available to stream on Apple TV on November 14, 2025.

Notaro further shone the spotlight on the late poet by reading an edited version of a poem written by Gibson called “Tincture.”

Read More: The Family Ties Behind Philip K. Dick's Burial In Colorado

Check out Notaro’s moving tribute to her friend below.