Secret AIDS deaths

They hid their deaths so well that everyone still thinks they're alive.

Like Doris Day

Margaret Thatcher.

Michael Landon?

If they did

would they know?

I feel like I've read DL speculation about:

Michael Landon

Jim Henson

Sammy Davis Jr.

Yassar Arafat

Raul Julia

Some guy from Knots Landing insisted he was losing weight from a water melon diet. (he was black too....you can't make this stuff up)

I can confirm Raul Julia and Henry Mancini.

I believe all died of cancer except for Hensen who died of pneumonia, unrelated to HIV (at the hospital where I work). On what planet is DL a reliable source for anything except speculation and gossip.

All of those people in Aurora, CO. James Holmes is innocent, guys!

Miles Davis was rumored

Terry Lester

Raul Julia's food poisoning death always sounded suspicious.

I can also confirm that Jim Henson's death had nothing to do with AIDS.

Kenneth Lay. Whoops, he's probably not dead!

Liberace. Curious how this will be handled in the HBO movie.

Al Sharpton in 5, 4, 3....

Luther Vandross?

Doris Day is alive

Al Sharpon cruised me at a rally in front of Radio City in the '90's. I should have gone for it...if there had been a DL back then, I would have, just to tell y'all.

I was always suspicious about Suzanne Sugarbaker after he encounter with Dutch Elm Disease

Wow. I was just about to post a what ever happened to thread about Luther Vandross. I had no idea he died. His music pops up on my Pandora often.

Michael Landon's death certificate is at link below. Cause of death: Pancreatic cancer.

Raul Julia I could see; he seemed to have wasting for a while, particularly in the last Addams Family movie.

The brunette of Siegfried and Roy.

[quote]Wow. I was just about to post a what ever happened to thread about Luther Vandross. I had no idea he died

Where have YOU been for the past umpteen years?

[quote]Some guy from Knots Landing insisted he was losing weight from a water melon diet. (he was black too....you can't make this stuff up)

Your flippant wording is very douchey. "Some guy...", "he was black too..." What an asshole.

Anyway, his name was Larry Riley. He had a very strapping physique before he started noticeably losing weight.

Raul Julia didn't die from AIDS. HIs symptoms didn't match, and he died at a time when therapies were available. Also, he wasn't gay, from all indications, for what that's worth - his life style didn't seem to suggest an HIV infection from non-sexual sources.

The family never said what the problem was that started the chain of events that killed him. The rumors at the time were that he had surgery for stomach cancer, always a tricky business. He lost weight (characteristic of metastasis) and had the food poisoning after the initial surgery. He kept working, but weakened and finally was hospitalized for abdominal pain, had a stroke, went into a coma, and died. Supposedly.

I think the family - after his wishes - kept the cancer quiet and have not talked since his death.

I wouldn't be surprised if Miles Davis died with, if not from AIDS. Howard Rollins also comes to mind. His lymphoma seemed associative with HIV, to me.

I remember Amanda Blake's (GUNSMOKE) death was initially not reported as being AIDS. She contracted it from her husband.

I wonder if she got it from letting him do her in the ass, R28.

I had the same thought about Tina Chow, who was one of the first hetero women to die of AIDS. She had an affair with a "bisexual" guy.

Part of the reason why AIDS didn't sweep through the het population is that it's much harder to catch through the vag.

Max Robinson and/or Frank Reynolds

That just shows you how well hidden it was R19.

Lenny Baker of "Next Stop, Greenwich Village".

[quote] Raul Julia didn't die from AIDS. HIs symptoms didn't match, and he died at a time when therapies were available

There were therapies available then (AZT, Videx and Hivid -which was eventually discontinued years later because it was so ineffective), but they really didn't extend life for very long

Arthur Ash was not a secret aids death, of course, but there were rumors the cause was a secret.

I also seem to recall subsequent rumors surrounding the Shah of Iran (he would have been an early casualty) and the choreographer Jack Cole.

Later in, George Peppard's was another death with associated rumors.

And of course, MALCOLM FORBES.

Wasn't Jim Henson's death sudden? I don't remember any period of decline or sickness.

[quote]Al Sharpton in 5, 4, 3....

He looks like a male Star Jones with that massive head and a shrunken body.

r27, That was mentioned outright in a bio of Davis I read (Swed was the author).

I was pissed off that there was no mention of his sexuality, yet the author stated flat out that it was possible he died from AIDS.

To the Al Sharpton posters: This doesn't have anything to do with AIDS per se, but a very close male friend who formerly moonlighted at a venue in Chicago where Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton held "inspirational" cultural presentations in the early 80's said that Al Sharpton was all over the 18-21 year old boys like himself. This guy is not homophobic in the least, so I can't imagine him saying it for shock value. I think his emaciated look stems from gastric bypass surgery which tends to give one's face a very drawn look. Plus, I'd bet he eats like a bird now in hopes of staying slim.

And you guys do know that cancer is one of the contributing factors which can cause one's HIV status to progress into full blown AIDS, don't you? If you have an immune suppressed internal system you are less able to prevent the cancer cells we all have in our body from mutating healthy cells into becoming malignant and producing tumors... hence the term AIDS Related Cancer. For obvious reasons, many prefer to have their obits read cancer than ARC.

Roy Cohn threatend to ruin anyone who speculated he had AIDS. He thought the "secret" went to his grave with him.

James Coco (“heart attack”)

Perry Ellis (“Acute Encephalitis” – that one took the cake)

Gumby and Pokey. Trust me.

Jensen Ackles - 2024

Justin Biebler

The rumor in certain social circles over in Puerto Rico was that Raul Julia fell ill with cancer. He kept it to himself in order to remain insurable and, in essence, played Russian Roulette with his health. That was the rumor and I have no way to know if it is true or not at all.

R33, your information is wrong and silly. Many treated cases of full-blown AIDS, not to mention HIV infection, extending to the early 1990s saw and have seen life expectancy extended. I am following a sample of such men (all gay males) and none have died, nor have the five of my personal acquaintances and relatives whose AIDS extend to the late 1980s.

None of which means that lives weren't lost and continue to be lost to AIDS, treatment or not. The point is that your information is unhelpfully wrong.

I always wondered about the sudden death of Paul Lynde. His death certificate says "heart attack", but a newspaper article at the time claimed he weighed about 95 lbs at the time of his death. I also remember the official cause of death was not immediately released.

Al Sharpton is so polarizing that if he was on the DL, the NY Post would have had that story.

He definitely had gastric bypass.

Bin Ladin. He took big cocks up his stinky shitter for years.

I always wondered about Eazy-E's death and the story put out.

Only because much of the black community seems as inherently awful to its own over being gay as white hillbilly bible-bashers are.

Monty Clift's death was labeled heart attack and he weighed about 95lbs so I guess a thin person can have a heart attack. Probably from all the abuse the body took over the years.

Wasn't Ray Sharkey's (Wiseguy) cause of death kinda of a secret? He died from AIDS from drug use.

Why would a man on the downlow want to begin an AIDS-preventing drug program- no matter what wonder drugs were available? That would out him immediately.

Elaine Stritch had a secret death two years ago. She was replaced by a Muppet and nobody has noticed.

Luther was rumored to be poz.

[quote]I always wondered about Eazy-E's death and the story put out.

I'm sorry but he was a very ignorant man. He did an interview ages ago where he claimed that he had many ladies a night and that he made sure to take Tetracycline after having had sex with them sans a condom.

Sorry. But he was as ignorant as he was self destructive. It's all a damn' shame if anything and I take no pleasure in relating any of this at all.

They say Rev. James Cleveland, but it's all hush-hush...

[R54] We're all grown ups here, and I'm reasonably sure that few DL members think that a straight man is likely to sero-convert by having lots of sex with women. It's not a racial or gay thing...it's a physiological thing. Men are secretors, woman are not. Unless the woman is on her period and the man's dick is covered in open sores or cuts, it's damn near impossible. So many Black folks say. "no way Eazy got AIDS from a man." I say, if you weren't in hiss asshole, how would you know?

Raul Julia's illness was never been revealed. He would show up looking awful(see picture) He "got sick" and died. Read Frank Langella 's book. He was Julia's best friend and even says he was completely heterosexual, but was in love with Raul and the only guy he would have slept with. But he too say Raul "got sick" and never revealed what it was. It's a duck.

R56 - you do know that HIV is present in a woman's vaginal secretions, right? I'm not talking about when she is on her period, but the natural secretions during intercourse. It is possible to contract HIV if these fluids enter the tip of the penis. The risk goes up quite a bit more if the male has any sores/abrasions on his dick. Check out aids.org, thebody.com, etc for more information.

Miles Davis sure looked like AIDS face with a touch of AIDS dementia thrown in. The sunken ashy features but particularly the bulging , vacant crazy eyes.

Switching gears, although Princess Margaret's death was attributed to declining health due to a series of strokes, lung and liver disease from smoking and drinking and complications from burns to her feet, some gossip says she caught HIV from a lover who later died of AIDS.

Jaden Smith

Al Sharpton is gay?

A famous down low athlete who died from AIDS did not get it from a blood transfusion. Why do you think the hospital and blood bank were not sued.

Miles Davis' death was acknowledged to be from AIDS-related complications. I remember reading about it way back in the early 90s.

[quote]A famous down low athlete who died from AIDS did not get it from a blood transfusion.

Why are you hiding his identity?

[quote]Why do you think the hospital and blood bank were not sued.

Depends when it happened. They couldn't be sued on the days before HIV could be screened. Why do you think so many cases of AIDS due to transfusion happened to start with?!

r62

Arthur Ashe? He's dead. He doesn't care if you use his name.

[quote]Luther was rumored to be poz.

Are we talking about Martin Luthor? Or just Luther Vandross?

Abe Vigoda.

[quote]Abe Vigoda

And Luise Ranier

[quote] Are we talking about Martin Luthor? Or just Luther Vandross?

Lex Luthor, Rose!

Arthur Ashe's AIDS death wasn't kept secret, but the CAUSE of his infection sure was.

Isaac Asimov.

ROTF@r69!!!

Was Bill Blass's cause of death reported as AIDS at the time?

Danny Kaye

The only one I really suspect is Easy-E, like r49 mentions.

Linda Day George's hubby....can't remember his name.

I remember Bob Hope saying that "some big names" actually died of Aids; but was listed as something else. No one followed up on that question.

Always wondered about Howard Hughes. His death was so similar to those of Aids victims.

I don't believe Luther had AIDS. He suffered from some ailments plus the gaining and dropping weight took a toll.

Guru (the rapper)

I thought Suge Knight had Eazy infected. Google around. And Ice Cubes album was called Lethal Injection. Cripes I sound like some weirdo on the Johnny depp thread but there's a lot of evidence.

I stand corrected on Luther, in that I hadn't heard rumors of him being positive but others seem to have.

I did hear about Rev. James Cleveland, r55. It's not as much a secret as it once was.

I've heard this time and time again, but what are the circumstances under which he was suppose to have been stuck? r79

Lady Bird Johnson.

She was big into sharing needles.

I wonder about John Inman. He allegedly died of hepatitis.

NASCAR driver Tim Richmond.

Eazy was a crackhead and blackout drunk. He was a pretty easy target.

Steve McQueen?

I wondered about McQueen too. His treatments in Mexico with apricot pits sounded extrememly desperate.

Andy Warhol died of AIDS but New york Hospital and the art world in general covered it up so the market for his works wouldn't go south. I got this from the then director of the hospital, whose wife was a New York State judge. they frequented my restaurant on the Upper East Side.

The actor who played Carlos on "The Flying Nun" was also an early AIDS victim, but that one was covered up as well. Alejandro Rey.

r46, Paul Lynde died of a heart attack while using poppers. The guy he shared them with was in the bed when Paul was stricken. Those details weren't in the Obit.

Please quit mentioning black rappers in this thread. It is disrespectful to the deceased stars and athletes.

Look, there is absolutely no disrespect intended. I was a huge Eazy E fan. HUGE. But it is such a disservice to the funding powers that be to pretend that Magic and Eric Wright sero-converted from hetero-sex. The money for a vaccine and a cure needs to be directed where it is most needed. If women caused men to sero-convert, 50% of the white male population in this country would be poz.

Now, if you have info that Eazy was an intravenous drug user who shared needles, i could buy that theory. But considering the who's who of Black Celebritydom are nearly all on the DL, why would Eazy, Dre's good friend, be any different?

I remember reading in a newspaper that Eazy E died of AIDS. Why are people pretending it wasn't AIDS? That's just pathetic.

And as someone stated, Magic Johnson is believed to have gotten HIV from sex with men. When I used to do AIDS education back in the 90's, many of the speakers with HIV would talk about drugs, and murder and everything else EXCEPT the fact that they were gay/bi. What a complete fucking disservice to the kids, but even AIDS wouldn't pull those speakers out of the closet.

"I am following a sample of such men (all gay males) and none have died, nor have the five of my personal acquaintances and relatives whose AIDS extend to the late 1980s."

Your anecdotal evidence is meangingless. I'm in an HIV support group and three out of seven members have died within the last year. All your palaver in service of keeping Julia in the closet... I've lived too long to be surprised by how much people are willing to sacrifice to the closet, but I'll never stop being disgusted by it.

When I was working as a flight attendant there was a very specific time, I think around 1982-3) where airlines were fighting to keep AIDS patients of the aircraft(not so much because folks thought it was easily communicable, but because it upset other passengers too much). During this brief time many men were flying home east from the west coast to die at their family's home. I know what a man looks like when he dies from AIDS before all the meds were on the market. Raul Julia looked exactly like that when he died. And so did Henry Mancini(The Pink Panther and Blake Edwards best friend.)

If AIDS cannot be passed from woman to man, then please explain the apocalyptic amount of AIDS victims in Sub-Saharan Africa. Surely not all of the MILLIONS of men who are positive in Africa and many other parts of the world can ALL be gay.

Think before you post and realize that you might be spreading dangerous misinformation. Vaginal secretions carry the virus. If a man has a small cut on his penis then he'll get the virus. Case closed.

NO case not closed. The people of sub Saharan Africa's immune systems are so compromised by the lack of clean water and other diseases, that they have a life expectancy of @35.

Unlike in the USA, a person with a normal immune system can come into contact with HIV and not ser-convert. It happens frequently. But when someone whose body is swimming with every parasite and critter known to man becomes HIV+, they have little to no chance.

My brother is a researcher/MD at the CDC in ATL, and he has assured me that the cases of female to male HIV transmission is 99.9% limited to IV needle sharing. You may not want to hear this, but isn't it better to know the truth so the government and big pharma can spend all the research funding where it's needed? If women spread it to men, there would be a huge portion of the male hetero population who are poz.

More about George Peppard please.

I read in a book that Charles Laughton might have died of AIDS, but I don't believe it.

R88, details about Warhol, please.

So if r95 is correct then AIDS is primarily a gay male disease.

R88,I heard that story about Warhol shortly after he died but then I heard that the night before he was admitted to hospital(and died a little over 24 hours after that) he was at a party. Now we know that parties were his life,but was it really to that extent that he didn`t want to miss a single party until his last moment? How was he standing on his feet then?

No, r98. Women still get AIDS from sharing needles and having sex with MSM. r98 said your chances of getting AIDS from a woman via heterosexual sex are miniscule.

My partner and I are currently waiting on test results. A FB of ours told us he tested positive. The oral test was negative but he tested positive with the .....forget the name...test.

We also tested negative with the oral test. Waiting on the other test results.

Interesting R93.

How about any unmarried male who died of "pneumonia" from 1980 - 2000.

"Miles Davis sure looked like AIDS face with a touch of AIDS dementia thrown in. The sunken ashy features but particularly the bulging , vacant crazy eyes."

His looks could have also resulted from years of drug addiction or alcoholism or some other physical malady.

Remember all the AIDS rumors about Richard Pryor? He looked ghastly, so it had to be AIDS, right? Well, it turned out he had MS. His death was slow and agonizing, but it wasn't AIDS.

Steve McQueen, as it's been well-established, died of cancer. Plus, how would he have gotten AIDS? Sorry to dash your hopes, but he wasn't gay. He didn't use dirty needles and he wasn't a hemophiliac. Although he'd been a heavy smoker, it was later determined that the cancer was probably the direct result of massive exposure to asbestos while removing asbestos lagging from pipes aboard a troop ship during his time in the Marines.

"Danny Kaye"

Danny Kaye's death was tied to a contaminated blood transfusion, but it wasn't contaminated with AIDS, it was contaminated with hepatitis.

He died of a heart attack, following a bout with hepatitis.

Big Kitty from Gunsmoke secretly died of AIDS.

R106 It was no secret when she died.

Rene Enriquez who played the Hispanic police officer on HILL STREET BLUES

Amanda Blake was infected by her fifth husband, a California politician who was decades younger than he3r

liza minnelli has aids from all the different gay cocks shes had

R108, you meant "than her." You should have meant "than she."

When did Liza and Peter Allen divorce? Was it before AIDS started spreading?

If you go on You Tube you can watch "And the Band Played On" the movie adaptation of Randy Shilts' story of the AIDS virus and how it was ignored during the Reagan years.

At the end, and even during the movie as the body cunt rises, there are dozens and dozens of famous people who died "after a long illness" or who died of "pneumonia."

If you haven't seen it it's worth watching. If you have, it's worth seeing again.

[quote]body cunt

Roy Cohn?

Alvin Ailey?

I'm not sure if it's a secret that he died of AIDS but was Dan Hartman out?

[quote]Raul Julia didn't die from AIDS. HIs symptoms didn't match, and he died at a time when therapies were available.

In that recent documentary about Act UP they said 1995 was the worst year they faced. (I guess because hope was fading about the available drugs)

[quote]Andy Warhol died of AIDS but New york Hospital and the art world in general covered it up so the market for his works wouldn't go south. I got this from the then director of the hospital, whose wife was a New York State judge. they frequented my restaurant on the Upper East Side.

This is NOT TRUE.

Steve McQueen was bi- One of many sources at link

Richard Nixon

I knew an African-American New Yorker in the Navy back in the 80s who went to the same church were Rev. James Cleveland preached and said that he was a big ol' queen. So was this guy IIRC. He was engaged to be married, but constantly talked about homosexual men and which famous people were gay or not. He also knew about Luther Vandross and Keith Barrow AND Stephen Burrows...could not have been straight. Nice body too.

Larry Reilly of Knot's Landing appeared on TV saying he was dying from Watermelons.

(no racial pun intended...this really happened folks...look it up)

r79

At the end of Dr.Dre's video he goes to Eazy E's grave.

I thought that was weird and out of no where the first time I saw the video.

[quote]The people of sub Saharan Africa's immune systems are so compromised by the lack of clean water and other diseases, that they have a life expectancy of @35.

A friend and I were working on a project in one of those nations. At age 38, we were among the oldest men in that country.

I know a few guys from the mid-late 90's Manhattan that could spin a Luther Vandross story or two. They might all be dead from free-basing, though.

What about those celebrities who are alive, living with it, and pretend it doesn't exist? Such as Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise. I would include Jon Claude van Damme, but he was drummed out off of the A-list when he made out with his boyfriend at a party in 1994 or 1995. Pretty harsh, huh?

Van Damme was never A-List.

[quote] What about those celebrities who are alive, living with it, and pretend it doesn't exist?

Like Courtney Love?

The AIDS epidemic in Africa has been challenged for a long time. It has been said that (a)if the epidemic did exist, millions more would be dead, and that (b)the figures have been tweaked so that African countries can get more aid (no pun intended)for malaria and typhus. Do a Google search for the Rolling Stone article on this subject.

The number of gay and lesbian people in the black church is amazing. A good friend of mine who is black told me that to this day the choir is a perfect place for a dl black teenage guy.

KiKi! KiKI! This board is too funny! "Al Sharpton in....."

Hallelujah!

r128, the reason for the inconsistent numbers was put forward in a book called The Origin of AIDS, by a researcher named Pepin.

His conclusion was that reusing needles in remote areas was responsible for AIDS spreading from very local areas to the whole continent.

He documented a very specific timeline. I wasn't totally convinced, especially about Haiti, but it was interesting reading.

R118, the source for that link is Darwin Porter's book. He makes up the most outlandish BS. I wouldn't be surprised if he claimed Mickey Mouse is gay.

Sorry everyone, I'm not trying to divert the top at all this came to my mind as I was reading this thread. I read an article around a year ago that Jesse Jackson. Jesse Jackson was staying at a hotel and told one of the male employees he wanted him to help clean his room up. Jesse Jackson was staying in the hotel room because he had sex with a woman the night before. However, the man said Jesse Jackson stared at him and he unzipped his pants and demanded the guy give him a blow job. Apparently the guy sued Jackson for sexual harassment ,but it was settled out of court. Their most have been many other males in the past who were willing and did give Jackson a blow job if he was so confident. Why haven't I not herd about Jackson's bisexuality on DL before?

Has anyone on DL ever had sex with Jackson?

Does anyone here think Aids goes back farther than the 80s? I think actor Lawrence Harvey might have died of AIDS. Remember this, what people thought was cancer some rich and famous men might have been dying of AIDS. Years ago people didn't have a clue.

nah...r133 it would have spread like wildfire during the 60s

This is scary... I know that educational level and socioeconomic status are big factors, but do you think all the bareback porn these days plays a part? Are young men just ignoring condoms and just taking their chances because the disease is treatable? I know it's not a death sentence anymore, but don't they know that it is still a fucking humongous burden on their lives?

R135, my sister works at a sexual health clinic in a city if 3.5 million. Yes, there are young men who consider HIV a small wall to climb to be like all their friends.

I wish it weren't so.

R104 and R132, read the diaries of Leo Lerman. Lerman casually tosses off an anecdote about a good looking guy at a party whom McQueen takes behind a tree and blows.

Really, wouldn't you wnat cock after having to look at Ali "Lady Ashley" MacGraw for years?

Is Everyboday GAY??!!!

r138 Take a dollar out of petty cash, THAT was the funniest post I've seen today.

Wait a minute, Steve McQueen was a bottom? I find that hard to believe because I get the vibe that he would have been a top. What a sexy man!

Lyle Alzado

Remember that mysterious illness that caused Burt Reynolds to go into hiding back in the late 80s? There were reports of him falling into a deep depression. He might have even tried to commit suicide. There was talk at the time that he had AIDS.

[quote]Doris Day is alive

That's what her former handlers want you to think.

[quote]I would include Jon Claude van Damme, but he was drummed out off of the A-list when he made out with his boyfriend at a party in 1994 or 1995.

So they drummed him off the A-list and he went crawling back to Broadway!

[quote]In that recent documentary about Act UP they said 1995 was the worst year they faced. (I guess because hope was fading about the available drugs)

How to Survive a Plague? Incredible piece of work. Any other year that would have won best documentary but Sugar Man couldn't be denied.

[quote]Roy Cohn threatend to ruin anyone who speculated he had AIDS. He thought the "secret" went to his grave with him.

"You don't look so good, Roy."

Darlings Jean Claude Van Damme was never on the A list let alone the B list or the D list for that matter......

The soap industry is full of such cases: Terry Lester, Christopher Bernau, Joel Crothers, Ben Hendrickson. Dennis Parker's suicide was so shocking that it blew the lid off early on that his HIV diagnosis drove him to kill himself.

I think I read that the earliest verifiable AIDS death took place in the early 1950s.

A scientist or doctor saved some tissue from the man who died, as he couldn't figure out what had killed the victim. The tissue was infected with the AIDS virus when it was tested 50 yrs later, which was only a few years ago, from what I remember.

This could indicate that AIDS was on a "slow burn" for a quarter century before exploding in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

Think of all the celebrities of dubious sexual orientation that died of "heart attacks", "pneumonia", "cancer", etc, between the 1950s & 1980s & speculate at your leisure.

R141 I think the thought has crossed my mind that Lyle actually died of AIDS (or some AIDS-related cancer). Definitely.

Interesting how a huge public campaign was mounted that blamed his terminal illness entirely on steroids.

Howard Rollins' name came up earlier in this thread. God Gawd, Howard Rollins was fine. When I watched movies like "Ragtime","A Soldier's Story", and "Little Boy King" - I was distracted by his gorgeousness. And he backed it up by first-rate acting - what a talent. He porked out a little on "In the Heat of the Night" - too bad that he couldn't keep in shape ala Denzel Washington - but he remained a pleasure to watch.

He seemed to be a troubled soul - seems that I remember him getting into some bizarre trouble around the Georgia town where they filmed "In the Heat of the Night". In fact, his troubles became so untenable that he was replaced on the show by Carl Weathers. His self-destruction was sad. I wouldn't be surprised if he died of something AIDS-related.

Can someone translate R121? There's nothing online about Larry Riley and "watermelons." He hid that he had AIDS by saying he had a kidney ailment, for what it's worth.

"Read Frank Langella 's book. He was Julia's best friend and even says he was completely heterosexual, but was in love with Raul and the only guy he would have slept with"

Not sure about Raul Julia, but Frank Langella is NOT heterosexual

[r33] et al. I knew Raul personally he was not the type to hide anything, if he had AIDS he would have been open about it. He had a wife whom he loved very much and would not have wanted to put her in harm's way. He drank an awful lot. He had a very bad liver among other things and had a stroke on top of everything else. I worked with him. He was the nicest, kindest, happy and OPEN man I ever knew.

"What about those celebrities who are alive, living with it, and pretend it doesn't exist? Such as Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise. I would include Jon Claude van Damme, but he was drummed out off of the A-list when he made out with his boyfriend at a party in 1994 or 1995. Pretty harsh, huh?"

There were rumors that Michael Stipe had AIDS

[r140] Stop ...it. Just stop.

Yes (R141) I always thought Lyle Alzado died of AIDS

I am so heterosexual. Just ask Raul.

Back in the early 90s, a buddy of mine told me a joke that Magic Johnson was Gay and/or HIV+.

Within a couple of days, the story broke about his status.

My friend wasn't someone who would have been in a place where he'd be privy to up-coming Magic Johnson news.

It makes me wonder if MJs status resulted from something other than cheating on his wife with hundreds of thousands of women.

[quote]There were rumors that Michael Stipe had AIDS

This is 100% true.

Rumoured living celebs: Axel Rose & Elton John.

Christopher George & Danny Kaye

r163, details please!

A Hispanic actor (Enrique?) on "Hill Street Blues" was still in the closest when he died of AIDS.

Regarding female to male HIV transmission in Africa, being uncircumcised is a huge risk factor. When you add the high incidence of STDs, another huge risk factor, then there is a probable explanation for the prevalence of AIDS there.

R167, see R108.

There were also rumors going around in the 80s or early 90s that Prince and/or Michael Jackson had AIDS

Arthur Ashe got AIDS from gay sex?

Well R171, no hospital was ever sued for his allegedly contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion so.....

At the height of the plague it became such a graveyard that a social walker told me the Park Avenue matrons were bitching to each other that they had been reduced to using the the assistants of their hairdresser's assistants.

9

R172 I know hospitals have been sued in such incidences, but how do the plaintiffs have a case if an AIDS test wasn't available yet? Were the blood screeners supposed to ask more intrusive questions about the sexual habits of donors? I'm sure THAT would have gone over really well with gay rights activists. So what exactly were they supposed to do?

I'm sure if it happened to a family member of mine I would want to sue out of anger if nothing else, but I'm just wondering on what grounds the plaintiffs had a case.

What about that other football player, John Matuszak?

R172, I have no idea how Ashe contracted AIDS, but he had open heart surgery in 1979 and 1983. Blood supplies for transfusions weren't tested for HIV antibodies until 1985. The test only became available in March 1985.

If no hospital was testing blood products for HIV because a test hadn't yet been devised, it's hard to see how there would have been sufficient grounds for a lawsuit.

R177 - that's what I was saying upthread. However, I do know of a family who sued a hospital in a class action suit - and won - even though the woman's husband had open heart surgery in 1984, before the test was available.

Considering what she went through I didn't think it was exactly polite to ask on what basis she (and the other parties in the suit) had a case. But apparently she had one (I think she got a couple million out of it).

Also, people who contract AIDS via transfusions typically succumb much sooner then people who contract it sexually.

For what it's worth - the son of my dad's best friend was a big trainer to the stars in the 80s and 90s. he told me before Magic Johnson came out as HIV positive, that he was known to sleep with men. A lot. He was known to frequent steam rooms too.

I didn't believe him at the time -

I figure the truth about Magic will have to wait until after his death, although its been so long since his announcement most people of this generation dont even care

John Mastuzak?

info on Christopher George please?

I remember getting hold of a Playgirl when I was very young and wow he was hot

Gay? Bi? How do we know?

Gregory Hines' early death from liver cancer always seemed suspect to me.

Farrah?

I thought the same thing too R183.

Wait -- Farrah?

Our Farrah?

Alvin Ailey (probably already mentioned).

Probably not a big secret, but publicly attributed to something else.

[quote]Can someone translate [R121]? There's nothing online about Larry Riley and "watermelons."

r155 he went on Entertainment Tonight to deny AIDS rumors. He said he had lost weight due to being on a watermelon only diet. The poor guy was really sick and erratic on the show (and deeply in denial)

I'm the person who originally broached the subject of Raul julia over a year ago. I was just scanning this old thread and saw the mentions about Gregory Hines towards the end. I have absolutely no proof or insider info, but I would bet a month's salary that Mr. hines did indeed die from hiv/aids. i would say that of all the questionable celebrity deaths n the past 15 years, his is the one I feel the most strongly was covered up.

Lyle Alzado? Spelling? (Back off grammer/spelling troll, auto correct keeps putting "Alfredo")

Arthur Ashe contracted AIDS thru a blood transfusion in connection with his treatment for open heart surgery. He said as much and it was discussed openly. Arthur's death was one of the strongest arguments to get blood products tested.

They were still working on a test for HIV but they had used the Hepatitis test and it proved pretty accurate. The delay was due more to reluctance to incur the costs.

As for Magic Johnson, he openly admitted he was very promiscuous while in the NBA, and he contracted AIDS from one of his female sex partners who was also Positive, from being an IV drug user.

I think Rudolph Nureyev and Perry Ellis were only identified as AIDS victims after their death. Not sure. Pneumonia and various cancers, especially Leukemia and pancreatic cancer, or liver disease were cited as ways to hide an HIV death. Halston died of AIDS didn't he?

"As for Magic Johnson, he openly admitted he was very promiscuous while in the NBA, and he contracted AIDS from one of his female sex partners who was also Positive, from being an IV drug user."

That's what he claimed

R191 You are a chick right?

[quote] Also, people who contract AIDS via transfusions typically succumb much sooner then people who contract it sexually.

The longest survivor I have met is a straight woman who used to be my neighbor. She was among the first batch of known cases in Canada to contract HIV through blood transfusion. She's still alive (she's in her late 50s or early 60s), healthy, and married.

Uh, no, I'm not, R193, not last time I looked which was about 20 minutes ago when I peed standing up. I'm an old queen if you must know.

This thread is a speculative thread about secret AIDS deaths. I'm just telling you what I know and remember. As far as I know Magic isn't gay, nor was Arthur Ashe.

Unfortunately the politics were such during those terrible years, that the only way AIDS victims could get any recognition or help was to publicize the spread of AIDS in the Het community too.

Those of us who lived through those horrible times will not forget the inhumane treatment. One of the reasons people kept the cause of death a secret was because they had to deal with a lot of shit from it.

My personal impression about Raul Julia is that he died of AIDS. How he got it, I'm not sure. I do remember he was making some movie or something that placed him in the Brazilian rainforests and he looked like a dead man walking. emaciated and frail and it was terrible to see. I can't believe any one would hire him and not realize he was very sick.

Howard E Rollins Jr.?

Miles Davis?

Debby Boone?

There's nothing secret about Miles Davis' AIDS-related death.

really r197? Does Miss Tyson know?

Well, I knew it back in 1991, and I was living in Europe at the time. There, it was reported as the cause of death.

[all posts by childish idiot removed]

Steve McQueen was in the merchant marine and exposed to asbestos, which is why he got cancer and died. He was desperate - he wanted to be able to keep going for his children. That was a very sad death.

I think I knew anyway that Nureyev had AIDS while he was still alive. I don't think it was a secret. Ray Sharkey as far as I know died of AIDS too.

This thread so reminds me of my mom. Anytime a celebrity died relatively young, and sort of mysteriously (or of a certain type of cancer), she would always pipe up..."I bet he really had AIDS." She brought up just about everyone mentioned here. Michael Landon (who I really don't think had AIDS). Raul Julia (maybe). Etc etc.

I haven't gone through all of these but what about Andy Warhol? Werent there rumors that New York Presbyterian covered it up?

And what about people who are alive who are suspected to be HIV + . Calvin Klein? Who else?

jfk was one of the first. he got it in a joint cia mafia plot. later the cia perfected the disease getting rid of the extreme swelling of the brain.

Thomas Tryon,The Cardinal

There have been rumors about Michael Stipe having AIDS

[quote]Back off [bold]grammer[/bold]/spelling troll

You might want to ask him back again, and [italic]then[/italic] tell him to back off.

Miles Davis was a herion addict but did he also like poles and holes as well? I always wondered about him.

F&F r208, who is quickly spreading her toxicity to other threads.

When did Jackie Kennedy Onassis allegedly have an affair with Rudolf Nureyev? Me soooo curious

Didn't Roy Schneider, the guy who played Chief Brody in Jaws, die of AIDS?

[all posts by childish idiot removed]

has anyone been following the pix of Bill Clinton? Is he in the AIDS closet as well? No one can look that emaciated from heart surgery.

Craig Claiborne

"Does anyone here think AIDS goes back farther than the 80s?"

A few years ago there was an off-Broadway musical review about the Hollywood/Broadway choreographer Jack Cole. I can recall reading an interview with someone who speculated that Cole's sudden death in 1974 at the age of 63, may have been caused by AIDS, in hindsight.

The Shah of Iran is always someone I wondered about, based on pics I saw of him in his final days.

Jamie foxx is poz. I know some people who are close to him. He's had it for quite some time, but he has always been careful to make sure no one finds out.

[quote]I can also confirm that Jim Henson's death had nothing to do with AIDS.

I disagree

[quote]Steve McQueen was in the merchant marine and exposed to asbestos,

It takes about 15 years of exposure to asbestos to get Mesothelioma and it takes about 40 years to progress. Most people that get it have it from working in the mines. There is 75% rate of Mesothelioma from asbestos.

Simian virus 40 is another cause of Mesothelioma. 90% of children and 60% of adults got it from contaminated polio vaccines.

Half of you dimwits don't know the different between between being HIV+ and being diagnosed with AIDS and dying of its horrible results.

Marlon Brando

Michael Jackson

Prince

Miles Davis

Marlon Brando? He was like 80 and massively overweight.

GEORGE MICHEALS

Prince owns this thread.

Prince, George Michael, Whitey Houston, Joe Pepitone.

Whitney? Now come on, that's stretching it, or are you believing crack is whack?

At least one former NFL player who died in the 90s (that I know of)

Did the press confirm David Bowie's death as AIDS?

r223

AIDS dementia set in and kept her from getting out of the tub. She had no teef as they say, she was infested with HIV

James Coco

Robert Palmer

The dude from In the Heat of the Night, didn't he die of an awfully sad death from AIDS? what about Rick James? I've always suspected he had the house in Virginia.

Cardinal Bernadine of Chicago.

[quote]AIDS dementia set in and kept her from getting out of the tub. She had no teef as they say, she was infested with HIV

Meth can do the same thing. I think it's far reaching to say she had AIDS. Plus, Whitney's weight was never affected. Crack kept her trim, but she wasn't deathly skinny and fried her voice.

Brad Davis? Didn't they lie about his cause of death? The wife thought he was, uh, straight.

r232 they were honest about him having aids.....but they insisted it was from needles. The wife even wrote a book which is just full of disillusions.

Walter Payton. His liver condition was rare and some folks with AIDS do contract it.

Lyle Alzado, Paul Mitchell, Walter Payton

Sweetness? Really?

What did Malcolm Forbes die from? It was later announced he had a gay twink bf in lower Manhattan. I heard rumors he was gay for years.

Malcolm Forbes couldn't have been gay! He dated Liz Taylor!

Freddy Mercury didn't announce his true cause of death.

Bonnie Franklin for sure, she was a wanton whore you know.

Steve Jobs. Yeah, pancreatic cancer might or might not have been the immediate cause, but it was underlying.

Raul Julia had AIDS. Go look at photos of his deterioration.

Yes, Raul Julia died of AIDS. The World Aids Day We Remember Our Soaps, had him listed as a victim of AIDS. I certainly think Rick James lived with the virus, and had AIDS when he died. Natalie Cole was taking Interferon, like her brother Kelly who died from the virus. In an interview Natalie did, seems like she was trying to tell us, she had the virus from her risky sexual past and IV drug addiction. There is no doubt, she died of AIDS as well

Not that I care in the least, but there were rumblings in LA for years about Magic Johnson being bi before he came clean about being poz. Few gays were all that surprised when it hit (at least the ones who had seen him in person out and about). Matthew Mcconaughey can be added to the list with Jaime Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. A friend of a friend lives in Austin, TX, knows Sandra Bullock well and says that Matt's sexuality is somewhat well-kept industry secret but that he likes men more than women. It was implied that he is also positive. No clue - just gossip.

I thought Luther Vandross was diabetic, and had a stroke that he never recovered from.

R244, It would be pretty risky for a person in his condition to lose all of that weight for Dallas Buyers Club. That's why I have a hard time believing the rumor.

r246 If only regular people's sexuality had as much protection as celebrities' have.

R247, I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean.

R222 Joe Pepitone is alive and is not POZ.

R244 Is Bullock bi or gay?

R244 a friend was a bartender in an upscale restaurant in SoHo in NYC Matthew McConaughey was there and was cruising him the entire time he was having dinner and drinks with friends.

Prince

Shirley Booth

There have been poz-rumours about RDJ since his stint in prison, even on other boards outside the DL. Back when the blind-item about a A-list actor with H.I.V came out there was gossip that it was about him, however that Charlie Sheen's pr people thought that it was about Charlie and that's why Charlie came out as poz. Also check out the blind item below.

R254, that BI sounds like RDJ and Sarah Jessica Parker (note the "city" reference). She's never said much about that relationship, despite the fact that they were together for a long time.

Do you think George Michael died of AIDS? Why haven't they released his body for burial yet?

Gregory Hines

It isn't just celebrities. A local haberdasher in our community, someone who was very prominent, married two grown kids, on his third wife, a society maven, when he died. He was always a tall slender man. But then he started looking emaciated, gaunt. His wife said it was a "medical condition" he was being treated for and put it about that he had Prostate Cancer. This was in the mid 80's. But then he died of "pneumonia" after disappearing from public view for about 6 months. Later we discovered he was Bi. Clearly AIDS.

Remember A Chorus Line? Michael Bennett and later Donna McKechnie both died of AIDS.

hey kellyann Conway at @r258 your alternate reality is showing. Donna McKechnie is very much alive.

Oops. I thought she died.

DO NOT EVER CALL ME BY THAT NAME. EVEN IN JEST

eddie long, the megachurch pastor who was accused of molesting young men under the excuse of spiritual guidance, likely died from AIDS recently but the church's official cause is "cancer" (which means nothing, AIDS can lead to cancer).

R255 also the pose with the hand the guy in the BI's picture looks very much like a typical pose RDJ does as Ironman...

Anthony Michael Hall

Michael Stipe looks like he is poz!

I have heard Stipe is positive.

Do we honestly believe that Steve Jobs had AIDS? I never really even had a moment where I thought that. But he *was* notorious for not following the treatment plan/interventions doctor had recommended for him. He was a bit of a brilliant nutjob, that one.

R263 he's very much alive.

R256: I don't believe he died of AIDS, but I do believe he was Poz.

R239: Freddie Mercury DID make an announcement just before he died. He said he had AIDS. I remember it well. You can also google it. He died shortly after his announcement of AIDS related pneumonia.

R221: Yes, Prince had AIDS and stopped taking his meds believing God would cure him. However, he died of a drug overdose (after the AIDS leak). His family/publicist/fans pushed the drug addict story to cover the AIDS/Bi rumors and protect his wacky JW legacy.

I can attest that Matthew McConaughey is gay/bi. I lived in Austin at the time and know firsthand.

Matt's wife was most likely a beard. She dated Maxwell. Matt is a bisexual sex addict.

R271 Knowing first hand would mean that you were present while MM had sex with another man. So, do you really know first hand? In which case, give up the details.

Harold Rollins was known to hit the baths in NYC and in DC. As well as Rock Creek Park in DC. Sad. So handsome and talented. Jackie O was allegedly poz, wasn't she?

Jackie O?! Are you kidding me? I don't believe that for a second.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

There was a list or something with the names of certain celebs and their orientation written by an alleged hollywood-insider circulating around years ago and on said list McBongo was listed as "pansexual".

r277 - i can believe that. he just seems like a horndog and would be willing to do any willing hole or get blown by any mouth.

R274 Harold Rollins? Do you mean HOWARD Rollins, Jr.?

I live next to half the people in this thread. They affirm that all of those are gay and have AIDS. Also, I have friends who own restaurants in various cities who have all been cruised by the other half listed in this thread.

Give us some clues! R280 PLEASE!!!!

I knew Raul Julia's son in college when I looked like I was dying of aids abusing drugs. I'm being facetious but he was a very nice down to earth person. I bet he doesn't even remember me. I was doing a project on his music.

There are some dicey stories about McConaughey going around in Austin but none I've heard are gay. He picked up a girl in a bar and took her home. When she got there, she didn't want to put out (maybe she thought playing hard to get would get her a longer relationship than a one nighter?). He got furious and threw her out naked in the street (this was pre cell phones) in the middle of the night. She had to walk back into town from Tarrytown (no buses in Austin). Well known story in Austin, she made a lot of noise about it (and probably considered suing him).

Only other gossip I know is about Jackie O. Doubt if she had AIDS. If she did, she sure had a lot of health issues. About a year before her death, before she was diagnosed with cancer, she began to lose it. Her mother had Alzheimer and it seems like Jackie had early onset. If she actually had cancer as well as Alzheimer's - who knows. In any case she ended her own life.

I forgot about bishop eddie long, he had HIV but his death was caused by cancer. His weight was cancer-drastic not 80's AIDS drastic, since AIDS does not look like that anymore. They die plump and chubby now from the steroids and that bloated AIDS tummy, not emaciated. He had HIV and cancer, but not AIDS

"I forgot about bishop eddie long, he had HIV but his death was caused by cancer. "

People with AIDS are highly susceptible to cancer.

R88, the guy who played Carlos on "The Flying Nun" was Alejandro Rey, and he was HOT. After TFN ended, he spent a lot of time on the 1970s game show circuit--including doing "Tattletales" with his wife.

Did any of you Eldergays know him? What's the scoop? Was he closeted? Very little info is available online because he died in 1987 and wasn't a huge star.

If you think Steve Jobs DIDN'T die of AIDS then you must think Donald Trump DIDN'T win the election.

layout the evidence...why does anyone think JOBS died of AIDS? You are right, AIDS victims are susceptible to cancer, and likely the kind he had. I want to change my answer to, bishop eddie long likely died of AIDS related cancer. Is there an edit button in this place? Thanks

He's a homo with obvious AIDS wasting syndrome. If you want to believe he was hit by a bus, go ahead, it's just as valid as anything thing else because he's dead.

Steve Jobs was gay? I never liked him, so I never thought about it.

Where's the proof Jobs was gay? He was deeply misogynistic but that reads nasty straight guy to me.

I was always confused about the Jobs AIDS tumors as well. The wasting people point out can easily be attributed to his cancer and change in diet. I'm all ears though.

Rumors*

notice how the Wikipedia articles referencing Robert Reed's death have been changed to "colon cancer."

R286 Rey was not gay. His fiery Argentine persona was inspiration to Sally Field. She learned to stand up for herself from him and his example on The Flying Nun.

R165 That has been disproven . The foreskin supposedly helps stops HIV transmission. If circumcision was so ffective why doesn't the US have low rates of STDS here with high rates of circumcision.

Steve Jobs wasn't gay. It was a long battle, but he eventually died of cancer. End of story.

Now, to talk about some real truth. . .

[quote]I thought Luther Vandross was diabetic, and had a stroke that he never recovered from.

Luther was gay and fat for years. Then, suddenly, he dramatically lost weight. Yes, diabetes can do that, but it doesn't make you lose over a hundred pounds. Then, he gains some weight and then lose it.

[quote]ABC News: Vandross — who has lost more than 100 pounds 13 other times — said he's finally figured out the secret to losing 100 pounds and keeping it off.

Who loses 100 pounds -- 13 times!

No one -- not even a diabetic.

Donna Summers, Natalie Cole and Vanity

R298

Helloooooo!!!!

Prince

Aluno Babbubala. A little-known yiddish comic popular in certain parts of the East Village. Tragic.

Patrick Swayze?

Bump

DOUBLE BUMP

I am happy about survivors, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terrance Stamp.

I remember some of the very first deaths, a 24 year old dying of pneumonia, or a young black guy dying of skin cancer. Then I saw my first diagnosed patient, a female prostitute suffering for months. She was at the hospital I worked at...getting written up for carrying her spinal fluid without gloves.

The wife of Brad Davis knew he died of aids...I think she thought he got it from needles?

R269, You are right. If I remember correctly, the Freddie Mercury announcement that he had AIDS came just a day or two before he died.

Ugly and interesting topic, and thread.

The number of families who have hidden deaths due to AIDS or any other communicable disease is probably dwarfed by the number who have hidden deaths by suicide or overdose. Many, many obituaries are silent as to cause, especially for people who die suddenly and young.

Unless suspicions of foul play result in criminal charges, what business is it of anyone outside the family what anyone, anywhere, dies from?

inquiring nosey people like myself just want to know, whats wrong with that? i want to see the morbid side of slutty, druggie, irresponsible behavior, i just do. i think threads like this, reminds people of its danger and prevalence. what do you think, do you agree or not?

Florence Henderson

Zoe Lund

Putin (eventually)

Bob monkhouse

Several high profile English aristocrats, including a Marquess and an Earl.

The 2nd Earl of Avon is one of the known ones.

R316, which ones?

John Lennon

Nicholas Eden, Earl of Avon "died after a long illness"

There's suspicion about the sad fate of Grant Williams. He was best known as a leading man in Universal Sci-Fi movies like "The Monolith Monsters," "The Leech Woman," and especially "The Incredible Shrinking Man." He was on TV's "Hawaiian Eye" too. Really great-looking and talented guy whose career never took off like it should've. He died in 1985 at age 54 of peritonitis following a bout with blood poisoning. You take into account his age, the time period, and the fact that he never married or was even publicly attached to anyone in Hollywood and you have to wonder.

Yassir Arafat. He was the biggest queen and an even bigger bottom.

Arthur was an intensely serous ‘take no prisoners’ sort of guy…especially about Civil rights. Like many black men in the public eye he was articulate and probably too serious for his own good. He contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion during heart surgery. Like many black men in the public eye, he felt that Civil Rights was a crucial task for him. And like many prominent black men he died early from heart trouble. Does anyone remember his cool and collected non-responses to that creature Nastase, who could barely speak English, yet was able to taunt and yell racial slurs at Ashe during tennis matches. I remember the commentator saying ,”Ashe has ice water in his veins” …that can take a toll on your health. He may have had an appetite for men, but what is more likely was his true concern for Civil Rights!

Grant Williams was gorgeous

The Marquis of Dufferin and Ava.

The Marquis of Bristol

Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach, the last Krupp heir. Died of 'liver failure', although no one believes it for a moment. Just like the 'death' of his great grandfather after the exposé of his orgies with Capri boys.

A photo with Mummy.

Rory Cameron

Bambi Bembaneck-hospice for liver and kidney failure, Donna Summers, and all the 70's female sluts, Natalie Cole-loved her for her transparency, she even admitted she was a slut for drugs, and probably because it was a little fun. Robert Ulrich, Bill Bixby, Lyle Alzado, Bert Convy, Micheal Landon, black guy from 70's named skreek/skreech...something like that. He started doing porn, then male porn, got AIDS, and died in mid 90's. He had a weirdness to his voice, it was a little high pitched and mid pitch voice sounded very similar to, i dont know, two automobiles colliding, lol, he just had a weird voice. Did i miss anybody?

Donna Summer? She died from cancer a few years ago. What does that have to do with AIDS?

Dom DeLuise?

Luther?

[bold]Some of the names listed in this thread:[/bold]

Alejandro Rey

Alvin Ailey

Andy Warhol

Bert Convy

Bill Bixby

Brad Davis

Donna Summer

Bishop Eddie Long

Frank Reynolds

George Michael

George Peppard

Gregory Hines

Guru (rapper)

Henry Mancini

Howard Hughes

Howard Rollins

Reverend James Cleveland

James Coco

John Inman

Keith Barrow

Larry Riley

Lenny Baker

Luther Vandross

Lyle Alzado

Malcolm Forbes

Princess Margaret

Max Robinson

Michael Landon

Miles Davis

Natalie Cole

Perry Ellis

Prince

Raul Julia

Ray Sharkey

Rene Enriquez

Robert Urich

Shah of Iran

Steve Jobs

Vanity

Walter Peyton

Yasser Arafat

[bold]Allegedly HIV+ according to this DL thread:[/bold]

Al Sharpton (see R20 and R38 for additional gossip)

Axl Rose

Burt Reynolds (R142)

Calvin Klein

Elton John

Jamie Foxx (R244)

Jean Claude Van Damme (R155)

Matthew McConaughey (R244)

Michael Stipe

Robert Downey, Jr.

Stephen Burrows

[quote]I remember Bob Hope saying that "some big names" actually died of Aids; but was listed as something else. No one followed up on that question.

Interesting

[quote]Several high profile English aristocrats, including a Marquess and an Earl.

?

I'm surprised to see Bill Bixby and Robert Urich named in this thread.

Prince owns this thread.

If Raul Julia drank a lot, could that have been the cause of his death. I worked with a man who drank. It affected his pancreas and he looked like that picture of Raul even after being off work for months. Stopped drinking, lived for a few years.

Patrick Swayze-his death did seem like it had all the hallmarks of an AIDS=related death, We know there are many closeted gay performers in Hollywood and Swayze's public profile had to be preserved as the death of a talented dancer and actor (his work as a dancer well into the 80s was almost always the same area where so many male dancers publicly died as a result of HIV-related causes.) Swayze was the only straight one and then died an unexplained cancer death?

I read on a DL French gossip thread that Jacques Demy died of Aids and was in fact bisexual.

Luther

Prince

Get some HIV/AIDS education to R29 stat.

Michael Landon

Whitney

Wacko Jacko

Prince

Patrick Swayze

Brittany Murphy and her husband

Luther Vandross

Donna Summer

Steve Jobs

Bowie and Prince

Princess Margaret? Surely you jest!

Hugh Jackman, Val Kilmer and Aretha

I saw a documentary about Swayze's death. It's some show on Reelz channel where an M.E. goes through all of the evidence.

Perhaps I'm naive, but they really went through exhaustive detail about all of his ailments. At the end the cause is confirmed his cancer, pushed along by heavy smoking and an interruption in treatment in favor of holistic measures.

While I agree many on the above list may have been gay, bi or closeted, and AIDS carries a stigma associated with any self loathing and secretive activities, I think Swayze, Henson (healthy, sudden pneumonia, delay in treatment) and Ashe (surgery, transfusion and changes to blood testing) have had neutral corroboration suggesting otherwise.

Geez it's inconceivable to think you're dying but add to it the cruel remarks people make about being gay...so sad

Easy E definitely died of AIDS, no question.

Vivian Vance.

Yeah no shit r347, that was never disputed since he admitted he had it. The question is how did he get it? Many idiots think Suge Knight injected it into him but his own son says he was on the downlow and Ice Cube hinted at that as well.

Patrick Swayze smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish for decades, then died of pancreatic cancer. That isn't out of left field; it's virtually inevitable when you abuse your body to the extent he did.

Same thing with Michael Landon: heavy smoking and heavy drinking ending in death by pancreatic cancer. No mystery at all.

Reading this thread from the beginning is interesting bt shows how DL can get things wrong - l mean Al Sharpton?

Hugh Jackman

Elton

Van Damme

R17 I know. Sharpton looks awful. He and Larry King are turning into crypkeepers. Well, Larry turned long ago....

R352 - I have absolutely no idea about Hugh.......but his looks HAVE changed and he honestly now looks OLDER than that old women he married. I always recall what creepy Vincent Gallo said about them since his West Village apartment looked into their windows - which we all know is absurdly easy to do in Hugh's building.

What did Vincent Gallo say about Jackman?

What about Flip Wilson? His was another liver cancer death (1998).

Jim Henson was a well known closeted homosexual who would do anything to keep it from being known as he knew it would kill the money machine which was aimed at tiny tots.

He had AIDS and that's why his uncontrolled infection killed him in hours.

r9 I beg to differ, but my friend was very close with Jim Henson's friends and they said he definitely died of AIDS.

I don't know where the Downey AIDS rumors just originated from a few years ago ... but I'm not sure it's credible.

Having said that, Charlie Sheen did assert that he knows for certain a few major A list movie stars who are positive.

Merle Oberon.

Carrie Fisher

Al Sharpton doesn't have it. Most people who have weight loss surgery get facial wasting. Al Roker, Star Jones and Aretha have it, too. It's the result of losing a lot of weight so quickly.

R362 Id like Sharpton to lose at least 150 more pounds

R5, maybe Raul Julia, none of the rest that you mentioned.

Arthur was an intensely serous ‘take no prisoners’ sort of guy…especially about Civil rights. Like many black men in the public eye he was articulate and probably too serious for his own good. He contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion during heart surgery

That may be, but I personally knew several men who reported having had sex with Ashe. I doubt they were all lying.

Robert Urich -----> Heather Menzies (Louisa in Sound of Muzak) his wife. Look at their timelines of illness & causes of death on Wikipedia. He died many years before she & before effective meds. She might have been infected later and benefitted from better meds. Whaddayou queens think?

I'd believe James Coco but that secret died with Doris Roberts. Maybe Mrs. Garrett knows but she's not long for this world. Would one of you call Nathalie Green & get her to spill beans?

I've always suspected Henson, Hines, Julia, Forbes & John Inman (Mr. Humphries).

Nathalie Cole & Swayze? Maaaaaybee...

Bill Bixby? Unlikely. Anybody got a source?

[quote]I haven't gone through all of these but what about Andy Warhol? Werent there rumors that New York Presbyterian covered it up?

Doubt it, r200. He never really recovered from his gunshot wounds. There was talk of negligence, but Warhol was a sick guy who waited too long to get treatment.

Natalie Cole's brother was openly gay and dies of Aids. I don't think she would have hidden it.

George Michael?

Brittany Murphy

What was Warhol's drug of choice? Coke?

Um, Warhol's drug of choice was coke.

His beverage of choice was urine, preferably from Basquiat.

I've always wondered about Arnaldo Santana from "Cruising" and "Scarface." He also graced some some classic all-male XXX features. He just vanished from the face of the earth after nabbing a role on a short-lived sitcom in 1984. He had packed on considerable weight and was virtually unrecognizable, and you have to suspect that it might've been an attempt to cover up the fact that he had become ill. Other men did resort to steroids and other chemical means to combat the appearance of wasting. Did he perhaps die in '84, just a year after the AIDS pandemic had struck? It's just so odd that there's nary a trace of him after that point.

Paul Allen.

"Hugh Jackman

Elton

Van Damme"

When did they die?

This is the first time I've ever heard mention of Van Damme.

Kevyn Aucuoin

John Holmes

A hemeophyliic baseball player from my school.

Pince & Kim Porter

Just like I told you would happen, the family kept out the underlying cause/contributing factor to the death of this barely there celebrity formerly partnered with this permanent A lister. He argued it was for her family. Nope. It was for him because he didn't want to answer questions about his own health.

Kim Porter/Sean Combs

Famous Amos

R380 how do you know this is true?

Raul Julia is dead?

R380 "My name is Pince! And I can't spell!"

I've heard that Lenny Baker died of thyroid cancer and did not have AIDS. I see there are several places that say AIDS but I don't see any actual proof of it so it could be a rumor. He died in 82 and was def gay or bi, but I've read he suffered from throat issues which turned out to be cancer for about 3-4 years before he died.

Calvin Klein

Howard Rollins Jr.

There is an episode of Nip/Tuck about an HIV infected man who wanted cheek implants so he could look healthier.

Liberace

Prince (rumor)

Luther Vandross (rumor)

Gregory Hines (rumor). Funny how his 3rd wife died a few years later of cancer

If Magic Johnson actually has HIV and contracted it from biological females then I am the Queen of England... Michael Jackson, I remember the National Enquirer cover, one of his eyes had ptosis. That and other symptoms made the article speculate HIV

Aretha Franklin is rumored to have had HIV. I have never heard if anyone surviving pancreatic cancer for several years.

Now I had the time of my life.

I recently watched Tobe Hooper’s “Salem’s Lot” and wondered about Ned Wilson. He’s the tall, blonde middle-aged actor who played Henry Glick. He started out acting late in life, never married and died in 1983, when his career was on the up.

Anyone who died suddenly from 1980 to 1995 and under 40 (not counting accidents and murders) was AIDS

Theater director Gerry Gutierrez, who won back-to-back Tonys in 95 & 96, died suddenly from "the flu" at the age of 53. He was a cancer survivor. I've always suspected he was HIV+ and his health declined because of it.

Re: R386, there's no second date on Calvin Klein's Wiki as yet.

I thought. it's an open secret that Prince was dying from AIDS before he took an overdose to not have AIDS be official cause.

Why won't they admit Prince died of the AIDS? Has anyone ever seen the death certificate? And would they even put that on it, unless it was a direct cause?

AIDS doesn't kill you. The anti-AIDS drugs do. Or the drugs you were taking before you got your AIDS "diagnosis".

I see Erna finally made it to the party.

I've never considered that celebrities who died relatively young, somewhat suddenly, and were soon followed by their surviving spouse/partner may have been AIDS-related.

Interesting, but of course, sad.

Prince was so obviously gay, there are rumours he stopped taking his meds and went full religious loon and thought god would cure him.

Patrick Swayze

Michael Landon

Liza is fine. She sends her love.

The thing is you don't really die of AIDS so it won't get listed on the death certificate. I find it hard to believe in the 80s, people left and right were getting it, then it all stopped suddenly.

r400 Yes

I suspect Prince, Richard Pryor, Marvin Gaye, and maybe Marlon Brando based on more recent rumors about the latter two.... Also suspect Michael Jackson was also battling either Cancer, AIDS, or both for a long time. You don't just travel with a surgeon and general anesthesia unless something's wrong. Also Bob Marley, AIDS related cancer....

They’re both named above, but Prince and George Michael have to be major contenders for this.

Brittany Murphy and her husband are an intriguing idea. There was something wrong with mould in their house but it has to be assumed that wouldn’t have killed most reasonably well people.

In fairness R400, treatment for HIV and AIDS has been revolutionised since the 80s and it’s no longer an effective death sentence, so we just won’t see the numbers we used to.

I suspect Jared Leto and Leo D are poz.

Bob Crane

[quote]AIDS doesn't kill you. The anti-AIDS drugs do. Or the drugs you were taking before you got your AIDS "diagnosis".

I thought treatment was a lot better now. I guess you mean people who became positive before treatment for HIV began to improve.

Any gay (excluding murders and accidents) who died under 50 before 1995, had AIDS. They just cover it up.

Yasser Arafat

HIV kills your immune system, so that a simple cold can kill you. That's why the term "AIDS related death" was created to emphasize the threat AIDS poses to one's immune system.

In the past people paid for coroners to fake death certificates and make it look like AIDS wasn't in play (and make it look like the immune system was fully functioning).

Since no one can confirm Valerie Harper actually died of cancer, I'll add her to the list too.

R400, wasn’t Marvin Gaye murdered by his father? This would appear to be a NON-aids related death even if he did have aids.

And Bob Marley/Marlon Brando?

r411 There are recent rumors / innuendo (from famous music producer) about Marlon being gay and hooking up with a lot of famous black men, including Marvin and Richard Pryor. Marvin I suspect that either drug use, and / or (bisexuality?). He could have been shot by his father but still had AIDS, or somehow set it up. Don't know the details. Marley similar to Marvin, but not so much about sexuality as drug use and high AIDS rate in the black drug musician community. He died of a rare kind of skin cancer on his foot that he supposedly ignored for a long time. I think could have been similar to Karposi Sarcoma.

r411 Marley's cancer was a rare form of Melanoma.... And if you look at his photos, he has the characteristic facial wasting towards the end.

Raul Julia is the only person I've heard rumours about outside DL. However, I've never heard anything to back it up. I think people probably just thought, "Camp, theatrical man died at 54... in 1994... and had lost a lot of weight towards the end of his life..." and assumed he was a closet case who died of AIDS.

I had heard of Raul Julia outside of DL before.

R390 I remember reading an interview with him when he was undergoing treatment for (I think) cancer of the tongue (which he attributed to smoking and drinking, two habits frequently linked to that form of cancer). He said that, before receiving treatment, he had to be tested for HIV, as, if he were positive, the standard forms of treatment would have been either ineffective or life-threatening. Yes, he could have been lying, but it seems reasonable to ask why he would have raised the issue if he were HIV+. He was very open about being gay (so he wasn't trying to hide in the closet) and about having cancer (which some might have hidden because, in film, it might have made someone uninsurable, though I don't think theatre work has the same issues, as it is usually tied to a shorter period of rehearsal and the possibility of fairly easily bringing in another director if the first becomes incapacitated).

He was not very open about being gay.

r416 He was married to women twice, and has a ton of kids. Lol.

Just pointing out the obvious, a closeted celebrity back in the day could have died of something other than AIDS.

And by the way, AIDS did not cause sudden death. Even if undiagnosed, someone with AIDS would have been ill a long time.

R419

No, not in the beginning the average time was six months from showing symptoms, (such as the purple blotches) to death. By 1989 it was about two years. HIV was getting less virulent each year. This is probably why it took so long to tame it. It wasn't till the mid 90s, when people lasted long enough for the first set of antiretrovirals to take hold.

Very old gossip that Jay-Z is bi and HIV+.

[quote]similar to Karposi Sarcoma.

Oh, dear!

[quote]Liberace

Really?

[quote]Luther was gay and fat for years. Then, suddenly, he dramatically lost weight. Yes, diabetes can do that, but it doesn't make you lose over a hundred pounds. Then, he gains some weight and then lose it.

[quote]ABC News: Vandross — who has lost more than 100 pounds 13 other times — said he's finally figured out the secret to losing 100 pounds and keeping it off. Who loses 100 pounds -- 13 times! No one -- not even a diabetic.

Who is able to GAIN back 100 pounds? Certainly not a person who has AIDS.

Was Michael Zaslow AIDS related in any way?

R425, didn't Zaslow die of ALS?

C’mon, r426, he was only one letter off.

Anyone who died before 1995 and was even marginally a sissy died of AIDS and they covered it up.

Don't be so stupid.

Anyone remember the British figure skater, the late, great John Curry? He had AIDS. I can’t recall if it was hushed up or not at the time.

Fabulously talented. So very sad.

Perry Ellis was for awhile. CK is HIV+ but it is pretty obvious...

R400 wouldn't they write ARC or HIV on death certificates?

R218 Marlon Brando did not die from HIV/AIDS.

"Your anecdotal evidence is meangingless. I'm in an HIV support group and three out of seven members have died within the last year. All your palaver in service of keeping Julia in the closet... I've lived too long to be surprised by how much people are willing to sacrifice to the closet, but I'll never stop being disgusted by it." Way to fuckin go, [R9].

It's rare that somebody doesn't dance around and shilly shally on the point. The point being the white elephant in the room.

Did any soap opera stars die from AIDS?

Terry Lester was a soap opera star who died from AIDS.

When Prince died, they said that he had worn his hip bones out from years of strutting around on stage in high heeled boots. And he was on painkillers....but isn’t one of the side effects of some AIDS cocktails that attack your joints?

Yes R433, Dennis Parker, Dennis Posa, or Wade Nichols. Rest in peace handsome man. There were others but I was not a huge fan of soap operas so I did not watch them.

R429, it was hardly a secret or “hushed up.”

[quote] In 1987 Curry was diagnosed with HIV, and in 1991 with AIDS. Before his death, he spoke to the press about both his disease and his sexual orientation.

r407 Sure; so tiring.

Alvin Ailey. Ron Glass.

R433, from primetime soaps: Tom Fuccello, Timothy Patrick Murphy, Ben Piazza, Dack Rambo, Rock Hudson, Raymond St. Jacques, Paul Keenan, Larry Riley, Paul Shenar, Teddy Wilson

R433, daytime soaps: Leslie Graves, Bill Beyers, David Oliver, Christopher Bernau, Robert Christian, Keith Christopher, Lee Mathis, Nicholas Courtland, Robert Drivas, Irving Allen Lee, Biff Warren, etc.

R440/r441 doesn’t know what the word ‘secret’ means.

R442, R440 & R441 addresses R433's question: "Did any soap opera stars die from AIDS?"

Mac Davis

R444 do you mean Brad Davis? He was bisexual and an IV drug addict, rest in peace. Brad Davis apparently died from a self induced drug OD but he had AIDS, and this was before the more advanced meds, not that having HIV/AIDS is some picnic today but the medications have greatly improved for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Mac Davis. He was a popular country singer who then became popular supporting actor. Loved him in that football movie with Nick Nolte where they both showed their bare butts in the locker room scene with some pro football players. It came out on on VHS and I wore out my tape.

But yeah, Brad Davis too. Both deaths have been alleged to have HIV related. Who knows?

I faked my death, and I’m just waiting for my comeback!

The football movie with Nick Notle and Mac Davis was North Dallas Forty. 1979. And yeah, that locker room scene was very hot for the time.

Oh, children.

Oh, children.

R446 Mac Davis is very much alive.

That's great, r451. What's he doing these days?

Wow, the 7-year-old thread.

Retired, as far as I can tell.

Louise Rainer...I told her that the gigolos she hired were switch-hitters...but she didn’t listen to me...

A lot of speculation on this thread

My friend in LA Who knew John Derek said he definitely did. Not sure if he’s alright been mentioned in this long thread

I love you r69. That was great!

R457 That's interesting. In 1980, he made a hetero X-rated film called "Love You." A good friend of mine was one of the male leads in that movie, and there's a scene where his character wrestles nude with the other male lead, DL favorite Wade Nichols.

My friend was convinced after he filmed that scene that Derek was at last bisexual, if not a closeted homosexual. He said Derek made them do the scene over and over again and seemed to be much more interested in getting that scene "right" than any of the actual sex scenes.

RE: 459 : Thanks for sharing your friend’s story. Wild. Yeah, my friend in LA acted like it wasn’t that unknown. Not sure if he was closeted or bi but my guess is bearding and closeted .I’ll have to ask him again for more details and report back.

R457 that's interesting I never knew that before, he certainly was handsome. Rest in peace. Who else does your friend say died of HIV/AIDS that was closeted or semi-out in the entertainment industry?

R459 here it is.

OMG! John Derek - a hottie for all ages! He was in The Ten Commandments and was married to DL fave Linda Evans. Later he married Bo Derek, a younger version of Linda.

R463 again: Knock on Any Door is a great B&W film showcasing the beauty of young John Derek. They really did have "faces" then.

Other than rumors, does anyone have any anecdotes relating to Prince being gay or bi?

R462 Yep - that's the scene. Eric Edwards said the scene in the original cut was lengthier. Derek ended up cutting a good portion of it because the distributors feared the longer scene might turn off the hetero "raincoat crowd."

Derek was a control freak x infinity. How any woman could have lived with him boggles the imagination. Of course, Bo is dumber than a box of hair. She had nothing else to measure him against, since he took her at sixteen.

I still think that Jackie O died from it.

Another fun fact from my friend Eric about filming "Love You" which may also give some insight into Derek's sexuality - the actress Lesllie Bovee is never seen topless in the movie because Derek told her she had "ugly tits" and refused to film any scenes with her bare breasted.

This devastated Lesllie, and she spent most of her time off camera crying and depressed. Edwards said Derek was a real asshole to work with.

It was so much easier in the 1970s and '80s because HIV/AIDS was always listed way down on the death certificate as an underlying cause with something like Cancer or Pneumonia being listed, correctly, as the primary cause of death. And nobody wanted to ask or hear about it.

^ I guess mainly the 1980s because nobody was aware what had started in the 1970s.

People lied about it because they knew it would conjure up the image of them taking a condom-less dick up the ass and that look on their face when the dick is in there and they're in pain and helpless and maybe they're loving it yeah they're loving it oh baby, oh baby...

That's why people lie about it still.

Liberace was so concerned about being "tarnished" he had friends drag his half dead ass to another county where the cause of death wasn't AIDS. The coroner in his residence country refused to accept the death certificate and he was finally declared AIDS.

[quote] People lied about it because they knew it would conjure up the image of them taking a condom-less dick up the ass

Uh, no it doesn’t.

We didn’t know what caused it.

Correct, r473. The epidemiologists carefully followed the patterns of transmission and were the first to decide it had to be a viral, not even bacterial, disease, long before the virus was discovered. Before that, people were even suggesting poppers as the cause of illness. No one knew at first.

That Jennifer slut.

Caught it from Tony Polar.

You didn't hear it from me.

OK it's wrong but you made me laugh R475 is 'once is never enough' a good read? I read valley of the dolls in about two days in highschool...yeah MARY!!!

I think the most fascinating rumor way upthread is that Jackie On Assistance had health problems including early onset dementia, and committed suicide. Come on people, someone must have the real scoop!

I'm pretty sure America Ferarra has it

R472

Liberace died at his Palm Springs home (one of several), no one "hauled" him anywhere during his last days for any reason.

After his demise Liberace's personal physician issued a death certificate stating his patient died of heart failure resulting from a form of degenerative brain disease. The body was then promptly moved to Los Angeles for embalming and preparation for burial.

Raymond Carrillo, coroner of Riverside County, Calif., which includes Palm Springs however smelled a rat and refused to accept the death certificate. He grew even more agitated and suspicious upon learning contrary to law Liberace's body had been removed from his jurisdiction without proper consent and embalmed.

Test on tissue samples confirmed Liberace died of AIDS far as the coroner was concerned and that was listed as primary cause on death certificate. The whole thing disgusted not just Liberace's family, friends and fans, but sharply divided the medical community as well. Many felt Dr. Carrillo had violated privacy of the deceased by in essence outing him in death.

So many young or early middle age actors just have a death year of 1980's or 1990's on their IMBd page, but no cause of death. You Google or otherwise search and get nothing, just that they died. It makes you start to think.....

A lot of that has to do with no internet back then, r480.

Some publicists didn’t (and some still don’t) release a cause of death. Before the internet we would read in the newspaper that So-and-so died and if the article didn’t list cause of death, you wouldn’t find it in the archives today. It’s only a relatively recent phenomenon wherein people think they’re entitled to this knowledge.

R477, I’ve said for years now that Jackie O had it. And quite possibly contracted it from Rudolf Nureyev. Just a hunch, YMMV.

A lot of homophobia and hate here. When discussing AIDS it would be sensible not to equate anal sex here with biblical justice or filth.

Please.

Would someone feed R428 some staph-infected shit, please?

Thank you.

I heard somewhere that the majority of the gay men on soaps and the ones that passed of AIDS were on The Edge Of Night. True?

R429

After being outed there was some scandal around John Curry, but things soon died down and that was that. He continued on with his career and was rarely bothered about his sexual orientation afterwards.

JC openly spoke about his HIV diagnosis among other things, and if you believe the stories had a two year long affair with Alan Bates in whose arms he died.

More on John Curry:

Adam Rippon didn’t introduce ANYONE to Curry. We already knew who he was.

R482 and R477 wait, what?! Where did you hear this? Or is it just a nasty rumour? I have not read about Jackie O or Nureyev extensively.

R489, he made it up

R490 = Ed Schlossberg

Here on DL I read in a thread about studio 54 and Andy Warhol that Andy Warhol died from HIV/AIDS, and the person claimed it was because if his death from AIDS happened the value of his art would go down the toilet; but I read about how Warhol died from having a private nurse and in the hospital, how there was a 'code' and the private nurse ignored it but a nurse or medical professional working for the hospital would not have, and even in the late 1980s an HIV/AIDS death would not have made the value of art plummet.

Warhol might have been HIV+, but his organs were a mess from the bullets he took in 1968. He never fully recovered. Then he waited far too late to have the surgery.

At the time, gallbladder removal was still major surgery and far riskier than the laser surgery of today, where you go home about 4-6 hours after surgery in an outpatient clinic. I had a dear, sweet uncle in his 40’s, who died the same year as Warhol, right after gallbladder surgery. He was a diabetic since childhood, and the staff didn’t properly care for his needs, and he went into shock in the recovery room.

Warhola family (Andy Warhol dropped the "a"), hired a registry (private duty) nurse to care for AW while he was in New York Hospital. His death and what lead up to that event was subject to much litigation afterwards.

Oddly while first defending care provided by the private duty nurse, she was later barred from working at NYH ever again.

According to published reports the registry nurse on duty called a "code" soon as AW went into cardiac arrest. There was no mention of "forgetting" or whatever.

That being said something must have triggered New York Hospital to conduct their own internal review of nursing care provided, and subsequently bar that nurse from their premises.

Andy Warhol was a very sick man by time he went in for that gallbladder operation. Highly doubt he suffered from HIV/AIDs as his physician made no notes about that disease prior to the operation, and no precautions were listed after surgery. It would have also been difficult to tippy-toe around such a diagnoses when suing NYH for malpractice and negligence.

Remember is was an autopsy and another medical examiner who outed Liberace by disclosing his HIV status.

Wasn’t there a song about this in the sixties? Secret AIDS in man, secret AIDS in man.....

I heard a rumor that Yasser Arafat died of HIV/AIDS; but I have no idea if this is true? The Israelis say yes he did, and North American media says no.

Alvin Ailey. Natalie Cole.

Natalie Cole had Hep C and other health issues, and she was not HIV+, and she died due to problems after an organ transplant.

Alvin Ailey, and other dancers including a lot of the soul train dancers, and broadway dancers did die from HIV/AIDS. Ailey did want his cause of death to be listed as something different from HIV/AIDS.

Ailey loathed the label "black choreographer" and preferred being known simply as a choreographer. He was notoriously private about his life.[97] Though gay, he kept his romantic affairs in the closet. Following the death of his friend Joyce Trisler, a failed relationship, and bouts of heavy drinking and cocaine use, Ailey suffered a mental breakdown in 1980. He was diagnosed as manic depressive, known today as bipolar disorder. During his rehabilitation, Judith Jamison served as co-director of AAADT.[98]

Ailey died from an AIDS related illness on December 1, 1989, at the age of 58.[99] He asked his doctor to announce that his death was caused by terminal blood dyscrasia in order to shield his mother from the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.[100]

Health problems Cole announced in 2008 that she had been diagnosed with hepatitis C, which is a liver disease that is spread through contact with infected blood. Cole attributed having the disease to her past intravenous drug use. Cole explained in 2009 that hepatitis C "stayed in my body for 25 years, and it could still happen to addicts who are fooling around with drugs, especially needles."[17]

Four months after starting treatment for hepatitis C, Cole experienced kidney failure and required dialysis three times a week for nine months. Following her appeal for a kidney on the Larry King Show, she was contacted by the organ procurement agency One Legacy, in May 2009. The facilitated donation came from a family requesting that, if there were a match, their donor's kidney be designated for Cole.[17]

Death and funeral Cole canceled several events in December 2015 due to illness. It was reported on January 1, 2016, that she had died the day prior at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her family stated that at the time of her death, Cole had "ongoing health issues".[18] According to Cole's publicist, Maureen O'Connor, the singer's death was the result of congestive heart failure.[19] Cole's last musical performance was a short set of three songs in Manila.[20]

In official news on her cause of death, her family stated that Cole was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension after her kidney transplant in 2009.[21][22]

Cole's son, along with her sisters, offered the following comment. "Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived... with dignity, strength and honor. Our beloved mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain unforgettable in our hearts forever."[23]

Honor Blackman.

Raul Julia and Hanson made me wonder.

Finally a gossip thread. So sick of all the Trump threads.

Hanson? R502

Roddy McDowall and Leonard Bernstein but nobody should be completely shocked by this.

Perry Ellis but I guess his people were worried that it would ruin sales of his brand of designer clothing?

Leonard Bernstein

Lance Loud

R508 it was not a secret that Lance Loud died of HIV/AIDS. He also had Hep C.

Lyle Alzado

What about all of those solid gold dancers? The one with the long black hair always made me wonder?

R59 You're right but the risk is almost infinitesimal. My old 67yr husband is a total top and had much, to say the least, sex without condoms in the seventies. Even with me who turned up poz, if he didn't get it then it is extremely difficult for the penetrator. He has rarely used condoms, only if he was made to. And they didn't get any call backs if they did.

R512 HIV was around in the 1970s but it was thought to be a "cancer", or a rare type of pneumonia. Yes it is possible for tops to get infected with HIV. It is far easier to get infected via receptive anal sex but it still can happen. The thing is that a lot of raw tops think they are invincible or that it's extremely rare/difficult to get HIV from being a top but this is not true, they are used to not using condoms or practising safer sex, and figure, "Well I had sex with X number of guys and I was not infected...so it must be safe..." but then they have sex without a condom and get infected. Also, if the whole "it's very difficult for a raw top to get infected" theory was true, heterosexual men in many African, Asian, and South American countries would not be getting infected by HIV+ women during unsafe vaginal or anal sex.

Also there would be other factors such as if the HIV+ men he was having sex with were on medications, or maybe he is just lucky? I know a total bottom who has been having sex since the late 1970s, he has had sex with men who were HIV+ or living with AIDS in the 1980s and early 1990s, and had swallowed and taken their cum in his ass, not just once but multiple times with different men who turned out to be HIV+.

I am sure as you know it was different then, there was a huge stigma about HIV/AIDS and many men were infected but did not know it, or knew it but did not tell their sexual partners until after they'd had sex without condoms-and my bottom friend was not infected with HIV and has no idea how he is still HIV neg but he now takes PREP/Truvada, and as for why he was having unsafe sex in the 1980s and 1990s he told me how he said how he was used to not using condoms, and had the mentality at the time that if a man looked healthy, wanted to date, etc. that there was no way this guy could be HIV+ at all.

JonBenét Ramsey

R513 the statistics show otherwise, it's like I said minuscule.

As for anal sex, the most risky sex act in terms of HIV transmission, if an HIV-negative top—the insertive partnerlike I said —and an HIV-positive bottom have unprotected sex, the chances of the top contracting the virus from a single encounter are 1 in 909 (or 0.11 percent) if he’s circumcised and 1 in 161 (or 0.62 percent) if he’s uncircumcised.

Liza died of AIDS. She had complications of her heart and lungs, but she had been living with AIDS for 32 years. She got it in the balcony or the tombs. Or at all those orgies and ganbangs. Liza's career would have been destroyed had her wild sex life and penchant for Doberman's ever came to light. RIP.

Helen Lawson

R516 Liza is still alive, where did you hear about sex with dobermans?!

R515 if that were true you would not have an entire generation or two, or three of bisexual and gay men in the USA who became infected with HIV. Most men in the USA are cut and I know tops who did get infected with HIV from an HIV+ bottom but the risk is a lot higher for bottoms but if you have unsafe sex either as top or bottom you will eventually wind up infected with HIV only it happens a lot more frequently to bottom and vers men. There are other factors as well such as if the HIV+ person is on meds, takes them, and they work, viral load, etc. Being a raw top is not risk free, it's not as low risk as sucking cock.

Barbara Bush

Hammurabi

R88 Andy Warhol did not die from HIV/AIDS. He was not asexual as I have heard claimed but just more discreet or basically everyone knew he was gay but he kept who he was having sex with private. He would sometimes have sex with hustlers, male models/body builder types, and I know for a fact he had sex with the poet John Giorno, when JG and Andy were much younger in the early 1960s, as Giorno wrote about it.

Who would admit having sex with Andy Warhol?

Unless they were desperate for attention.

[quote] I am sure as you know it was different then, there was a huge stigma about HIV/AIDS and many men were infected but did not know it, or knew it but did not tell their sexual partners until after they'd had sex without condoms-and my bottom friend was not infected with HIV and has no idea how he is still HIV neg but he now takes PREP/Truvada, and as for why he was having unsafe sex in the 1980s and 1990s he told me how he said how he was used to not using condoms, and had the mentality at the time that if a man looked healthy, wanted to date, etc. that there was no way this guy could be HIV+ at all.

Holy fucking run-on!

R523 Nitpick my caffeine inspired paragraph instead of the dangerous claim that the HIV+ guy wrote that "Raw tops don't get HIV...it's rare/statistically impossible..." as though fucking someone's ass raw is akin to getting sucked off or sucking for HIV infection risk, which if you survived until now you would know being a raw top is not safe and HIV infection does happen this way. No it's not as risky as doing it raw as bottom/vers but HIV infection does happen to raw tops.

I know a man who became HIV+ from giving oral but he figured it was completely safe, had sucked off 100s or 1,000s of men at glory holes and at the baths. In the early 1990s he would go to get tested and when asked about their sexual practices said how he just would suck cock and medical professionals in SF told him, 'It's doubtful you are HIV+ there's no need for you to get tested again..." after hearing this multiple times after being tested neg at the time he figured it was impossible to get HIV from sucking cock. He was not into anal sex and the rare number of times he ever did it as a top he used condoms, and he figures he became infected from sucking cock when he had a cut or sore in his mouth.

R88 Details about Alejandro Rey dying from HIV/AIDS? Wiki claims it was lung cancer which is possible as almost everyone smoked back then. I don't doubt he was gay or bisexual but closeted but do you know his family or something and they told you he died from HIV/AIDS?

Chadwick Boseman

Details R525? I know a younger guy who had colon related health issues and he thought it was cancer but he used lots and lots of drugs: meth, coke, booze, heroin/opiates, lots of pot, mushrooms, benzos, basically any drug he could get. He wound up getting checked out, had surgery on his colon, got sober from all drugs, became vegetarian, and is doing better.

Tommy from Alice owns this thread

Mark Hampton , interior decorator, married with children. He died a couple of years after his married ( second marriage) closeted lover, Carter Burden Jr, ( from the Vanderbilt family) ex New York City councilman also died of AIDS.

Carter Burden was the ex husband of Babe Paley's daughter Amanda Burden ( divorced in 1972) . and father of her children. However, Carter Burden's closet wasn't a complete "sell out"; he along with another Councilman Eldon Clingan introduced a bill, Intro 475 in 1971 which proposed to include Sexual orientation into New York's Human Rights Law.

This bill and it's add ons and adjustments was not passed until 20th march 1986, fifteen years after its introduction, five years into the AIDS crisis with 12,.529 officially dying of it by the end of 1985 and New York ending up being the city in the U.S most affected by AIDS in the 1980s. Carter Burden died in 1996 survived by his two children and second wife.

R12 R148 R434 For the record, Lester's cause of death is right on his death certificate (which is a public document in California), which I have seen first hand. So while his family may have hid his cause of death (with the soap press going along with it), his doctor DID NOT.

I believe it's the same with Joel Crothers, because as I recall, Craig Hamrick, the author who wrote the bio on Louis Edmonds has a lot of information about his co-stars in the book and makes reference to Joel's death in a footnote with a source.

[quote]At the time, gallbladder removal was still major surgery and far riskier than the laser surgery of today, where you go home about 4-6 hours after surgery in an outpatient clinic. I had a dear, sweet uncle in his 40’s, who died the same year as Warhol, right after gallbladder surgery. He was a diabetic since childhood, and the staff didn’t properly care for his needs, and he went into shock in the recovery room.

Gall bladder surgery is usually very successful, it wasn't considered risky surgery when Warhol had it. However, his organs being mangled by the gunshot wounds he survived years earlier, likely made the gall bladder much surgery riskier.

My mom had her gallbladder removed in the early 1970s. The surgery went well, she's still alive today.

R527- I think it's possible he was gay but I have no reason to believe that Philip McKeon died of AIDS.