[2] During this time, Gillespie was awarded three Chester Dale Fellowships and a Louis Comfort Tiffany grant.

In his later work, Gillespie abandoned his early fascination with creating hyper-realized realistic imagery, instead focusing on a looser and more expressive style.

[3] Gillespie was found dead by his second wife, Peggy, in his studio in Belchertown, Massachusetts, apparently a suicide by hanging, on April 26, 2000.

[4] In December 2022, Gillespie's son,[5] Vincent, a resident of Athol, Massachusetts, was found guilty of assaulting law enforcement during the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

[6] Prior to his conviction, Vincent Gillespie had waged a lengthy legal battle against his stepmother to gain control of his father's paintings.