&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Liberace HIV: The World&#39;s Highest-Paid Entertainer Who Died of AIDS in 1987&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Watermelon Diet&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When Liberace became gravely ill in January 1987, reports about his health were accompanied by increasingly elaborate explanations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His manager, &lt;a href=&quot;https://lasvegassun.com/news/2001/oct/12/heller-liberaces-personal-manager-for-37-years-die/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seymour Heller&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, denied reports that Liberace had AIDS and said he was suffering from anaemia caused by a strict watermelon diet. Days later, Liberace&#39;s publicist described his condition as pernicious anaemia complicated by advanced emphysema and heart disease. His personal physician later listed congestive heart failure associated with subacute encephalopathy as the cause of death.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace died on 4 February 1987 at his home in Palm Springs, California. He was 67.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://cms.goodbyehiv.com/Files/Pai/Celebrities%20with%20HIV%20%E2%80%93%2035%20%E2%80%93%20Liberace%20The%20World&#39;s%20Highest-Paid%20Entertainer%20Who%20Took%20His%20AIDS%20Diagnosis%20%E2%80%94%20and%20His%20Sexuality%20%E2%80%94%20to%20the%20Grave%20Goodbye%20HIV%2003.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Celebrities with HIV &amp;ndash; 35 &amp;ndash; Liberace The World&#39;s Highest-Paid Entertainer Who Took His AIDS Diagnosis &amp;mdash; and His Sexuality &amp;mdash; to the Grave Goodbye HIV 03.jpg (155 KB)&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #808080;&quot;&gt;Image source:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.desertsun.com/picture-gallery/life/entertainment/2014/11/28/historic-thanksgiving-in-palm-springs/19618219/&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Palm Springs Historical Society / The Desert Sun&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Riverside County coroner was not satisfied with the information on the death certificate and ordered an autopsy. The autopsy found that Liberace had died from cytomegalovirus pneumonia, an opportunistic infection associated with AIDS. The coroner also reported pulmonary heart disease and a calcified heart valve as contributing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The findings made public what had been denied in the weeks before his death: Liberace had been living with HIV and had developed AIDS.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A subsequent &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/10/us/coroner-cites-aids-in-liberace-death.html&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Riverside County coroner&#39;s report&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; stated that Liberace had tested positive for the AIDS virus eight months before his death.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For a man who had spent decades protecting his private life from public scrutiny, the truth emerged only after his death.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Born in Wisconsin, Made of Glitter&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Władziu Valentino Liberace was born on 16 May 1919 in West Allis, Wisconsin, to Salvatore Liberace, an Italian immigrant and French-horn player, and Frances Zuchowski, a Polish-American pianist.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Music surrounded him from childhood. Liberace was a prodigy, and his talent quickly became impossible to ignore. As a teenager, he performed publicly and eventually appeared as a guest soloist with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://cso.org&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicago Symphony Orchestra&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His early career pointed towards classical music. But Liberace soon realised that his greatest gift was not simply playing the piano. It was entertaining for an audience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;During the 1940s, he began incorporating popular music and increasingly theatrical presentation into his performances. The candelabra on the piano, extravagant costumes, furs, jewellery and elaborate stage entrances became part of the Liberace experience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://cms.goodbyehiv.com/Files/Pai/Celebrities%20with%20HIV%20%E2%80%93%2035%20%E2%80%93%20Liberace%20The%20World&#39;s%20Highest-Paid%20Entertainer%20Who%20Took%20His%20AIDS%20Diagnosis%20%E2%80%94%20and%20His%20Sexuality%20%E2%80%94%20to%20the%20Grave%20Goodbye%20HIV%2001.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Celebrities with HIV &amp;ndash; 35 &amp;ndash; Liberace The World&#39;s Highest-Paid Entertainer Who Took His AIDS Diagnosis &amp;mdash; and His Sexuality &amp;mdash; to the Grave Goodbye HIV 01.jpg (114 KB)&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #808080;&quot;&gt;Image source:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gaydesertguide.com/four-decades-later-liberace-gaining-elevated-status-as-legendary-palm-springs-entertainer-who-sparked-national-dialogue-on-aids/&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jere Ring / KGay Desert Guide&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He was not merely a pianist. He was a spectacle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By the 1950s, his television programme had made him a household name. He performed to packed audiences in Las Vegas and concert halls across the United States and abroad. His wealth became almost as famous as his costumes, and he was widely described as the highest-paid entertainer in the world during the height of his career.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His influence extended to younger performers, including &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eltonjohn.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elton John&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, who later acknowledged Liberace as an influence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace had turned excess into an art form &amp;mdash; and made himself one of the most recognisable entertainers of the 20th century.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Secret He Kept for Fifty Years&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Behind the candelabra, rhinestones and furs was a private life Liberace guarded fiercely.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Although rumours about his sexuality followed him throughout his career, Liberace publicly denied being gay.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 1977, 18-year-old &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Thorson&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scott Thorson&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; met Liberace through a mutual acquaintance and eventually became his personal companion and assistant. Thorson later said that the two had a romantic relationship.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://cms.goodbyehiv.com/Files/Pai/Celebrities%20with%20HIV%20%E2%80%93%2035%20%E2%80%93%20Liberace%20The%20World&#39;s%20Highest-Paid%20Entertainer%20Who%20Took%20His%20AIDS%20Diagnosis%20%E2%80%94%20and%20His%20Sexuality%20%E2%80%94%20to%20the%20Grave%20Goodbye%20HIV%2019.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Celebrities with HIV &amp;ndash; 35 &amp;ndash; Liberace The World&#39;s Highest-Paid Entertainer Who Took His AIDS Diagnosis &amp;mdash; and His Sexuality &amp;mdash; to the Grave Goodbye HIV 19.jpg (110 KB)&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #808080;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image source: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.allure.com/story/the-real-story-liberaces-plastic-surgery&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Joan Kron / Allure&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For several years, Thorson was closely associated with Liberace&#39;s professional and private life, including appearances connected with the entertainer&#39;s Las Vegas act.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Their relationship ended in 1982. Thorson subsequently filed a $113 million palimony lawsuit against Liberace, claiming that they had been romantic partners and that Liberace had promised to provide for him.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace denied that they had been lovers and maintained that their relationship was not sexual.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The case attracted enormous publicity and became one of the most prominent same-sex palimony disputes of its era. It was settled out of court in 1986, with Thorson receiving $75,000, three cars and three dogs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The lawsuit had forced the question of Liberace&#39;s sexuality into the public spotlight.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He continued to deny it.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Diagnosis He Hid From the World&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace&#39;s HIV status was not publicly acknowledged during his lifetime.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://cms.goodbyehiv.com/Files/Pai/Celebrities%20with%20HIV%20%E2%80%93%2035%20%E2%80%93%20Liberace%20The%20World&#39;s%20Highest-Paid%20Entertainer%20Who%20Took%20His%20AIDS%20Diagnosis%20%E2%80%94%20and%20His%20Sexuality%20%E2%80%94%20to%20the%20Grave%20Goodbye%20HIV%2017.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Celebrities with HIV &amp;ndash; 35 &amp;ndash; Liberace The World&#39;s Highest-Paid Entertainer Who Took His AIDS Diagnosis &amp;mdash; and His Sexuality &amp;mdash; to the Grave Goodbye HIV 17.jpg (113 KB)&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #808080;&quot;&gt;Image source:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/06/07/liberaces-ex-lover-scott-thorson-michael-jackson-and-i-had-a-6-year-romance/&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kevin Horan/Time &amp;amp; Life Pictures/Getty Images&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A Riverside County coroner&#39;s report released several months after his death stated that Liberace had tested positive for the AIDS virus eight months before he died. Contemporary reporting also noted that his associates had repeatedly denied reports that he had AIDS during the weeks before his death.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace continued working even as his health deteriorated.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In November 1986, he performed at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-05-mn-1362-story.html&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Radio City Music Hall&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in New York with the Rockettes. He also made what became his final public television appearance on &lt;em&gt;The Oprah Winfrey Christmas Show&lt;/em&gt;, taped in November. He continued making public appearances until shortly before his death.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe src=&quot;//www.youtube.com/embed/ioPWV2m9o4g&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; height=&quot;314&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #808080;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;A memorable moment from Liberace&#39;s last interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986), where he humorously shares a shopping story about his extravagant fur coat.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By January 1987, however, his health had become critical. His publicist described him as suffering from pernicious anaemia, advanced emphysema and heart disease, while his manager continued to reject reports that he had AIDS.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace was admitted to Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage shortly before his death and was later released to his Palm Springs home. He died there on 4 February 1987.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His physician&#39;s original death certificate did not list AIDS.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Riverside County coroner rejected the certificate and ordered an autopsy. The examination concluded that Liberace had died from cytomegalovirus pneumonia associated with AIDS.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The coroner&#39;s conclusion directly contradicted the official cause of death initially provided by Liberace&#39;s physician.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The physician&#39;s attorney later denied that there had been an intentional cover-up, saying the doctor had suspected AIDS but believed there was insufficient evidence to identify it as the cause of death and had sought to protect Liberace&#39;s privacy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The historical record, therefore, is more complicated than a simple cover-up story.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What is clear is that Liberace&#39;s HIV status was kept from the public during his lifetime, and the truth became public only after the coroner&#39;s investigation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Behind the Candelabra&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 1988, a year after Liberace&#39;s death, Scott Thorson published &lt;em&gt;Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The memoir offered Thorson&#39;s account of his years with Liberace and described their relationship, life together, and the extraordinary world surrounding the entertainer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The book later became the basis for Steven Soderbergh&#39;s 2013 HBO film &lt;em&gt;Behind the Candelabra&lt;/em&gt;, starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Thorson.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The film introduced Liberace&#39;s private life to a new generation and became a major awards success. &lt;em&gt;Behind the Candelabra&lt;/em&gt; received 15 Primetime Emmy nominations and won multiple awards, including acting honours for Michael Douglas and Matt Damon.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For many younger viewers, the film was their first introduction to the man behind the candelabra &amp;mdash; not simply the flamboyant pianist their parents or grandparents remembered, but a complicated figure whose public image and private life had been kept sharply apart.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://variety.com/2024/film/news/scott-thorson-liberace-lover-wonderland-murders-witness-dies-behind-the-candelabra-1236118053/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scott Thorson died in Los Angeles&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; on 16 August 2024, aged 65.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What His Story Means&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace was not the first famous person to die of AIDS. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.goodbyehiv.com/celebrities-with-hiv-03-rock-hudson&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rock Hudson&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; had died two years earlier, in 1985, after his AIDS diagnosis became public, helping bring the epidemic into wider public discussion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace&#39;s death revealed a different part of the story.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His life had been built around the careful management of an image. He became famous for excess, glamour and theatricality while fiercely protecting the private life behind the performance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His sexuality remained publicly denied throughout his career. His HIV status was not publicly acknowledged while he was alive. And when he became seriously ill, the initial public explanations for his condition did not mention AIDS.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The coroner&#39;s investigation established AIDS as the underlying cause of death.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That history matters because it shows how deeply stigma and secrecy shaped the lives of public figures during the AIDS crisis. In the 1980s, HIV was still surrounded by fear, misinformation and discrimination. For someone as famous as Liberace, acknowledging the diagnosis could have meant exposing not only a medical condition but also a private life he had spent decades refusing to discuss publicly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His story is therefore not primarily one of advocacy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://cms.goodbyehiv.com/Files/Pai/Celebrities%20with%20HIV%20%E2%80%93%2035%20%E2%80%93%20Liberace%20The%20World&#39;s%20Highest-Paid%20Entertainer%20Who%20Took%20His%20AIDS%20Diagnosis%20%E2%80%94%20and%20His%20Sexuality%20%E2%80%94%20to%20the%20Grave%20Goodbye%20HIV%2006.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Celebrities with HIV &amp;ndash; 35 &amp;ndash; Liberace The World&#39;s Highest-Paid Entertainer Who Took His AIDS Diagnosis &amp;mdash; and His Sexuality &amp;mdash; to the Grave Goodbye HIV 06.jpg (150 KB)&quot; width=&quot;550&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #808080;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image source: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.motherjones.com/media/2013/05/hbo-michael-douglas-liberace-top-moments/&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Alan Light/Flickr&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It is a story about secrecy, stigma, celebrity and the enormous distance that can exist between a public image and a private life.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Liberace spent decades creating a world of candelabras, rhinestones, furs and applause.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After his death, the world finally learned what had been hidden behind the spectacle.&lt;/p&gt;

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