Famous Peple Who Tragically Died From AIDS

#1 AIDS has claimed the lives of over 40 million people since the outbreak of the epidemic in the early 1980's.

This disease knows no boundaries. It can effect any race, religion, or sex. In the past it was a death sentence, but with improvements to it's understanding and medicines, it is now something that can be managed for a longer period of time. Since it's outbreak, there have been many who put their lives on the line to further the cause of a cure. Some before they passed away, and some after their death. HIV, the disease which causes AIDS is being treated and understood now, more than at any time since it first began. Many celebrities and famous figures have come forward to promote awareness of the illness, like actor Charlie Sheen recently did. However, we lost some famous faces to the killer over the years, and these are only a tiny few of them..

#2 Robert Reed

The most beloved fathers on television through the 1970's and early 80's, Robert Reed is best known as Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch. Reed didn't want audiences to know that he was gay. He was worried that his sexual orientation would ruin his career, so he married Marilyn Rosenberger and had a child with her. The marriage ended after five years. He died in 1992 of colon cancer, but his death certificate revealed that he was also HIV positive and that the virus greatly contributed to his death. It was at this time that fellow actors from The Brady Bunch came forward and publicly told the world of Reed's homosexual lifestyle.

#3 Rock Hudson

The romantic comedy lead actor from the 1950's and 60's kept his illness a secret. His career was based on his being a 'ladies man' and he was afraid to let the public know about his secret lifestyle. He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984 and kept his disease a secret from almost everybody, balancing his personal life and the pursuit of a treatment that would help him keep the illness under control. His publicist admitted that he did die from AIDS only after his death in 1985. Hollywood was in turmoil over the information, as it was the height of the epidemic, and was making headlines in the papers and on the news daily.

#4 Freddie Mercury

The super vocalist from the group QUEEN never admitted he was gay. In fact, he went out of his way publicly to ignore his long time lover. His unwillingness to come out might have stemmed from the fact that homosexual acts were criminalized in England during a better part of his youth. On the other hand, he was also a huge star and admitting that he was gay might have affected his career. He was also reluctant to talk publicly about his diagnosis of AIDS in 1987. He kept to his story until 1991 when he finally issued a statement about his illness and sexuality. He passed away just one day later, though his official death report says he died from liver failure and complications with is bladder.

#5 Arthur Ashe

Ashe was one of the first black men to make a splash on the tennis courts, which was considered at the time to be a 'white sport'. He went on to be the only black man in history to win three Grand Slam titles. However, he was also unfortunate enough to contract HIV from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. Ashe kept his disease hidden for almost 10 years before telling the world he had AIDS in 1992. He then founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. He died in 1993 and posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work to put an end to AIDS. His Foundation is still active today and one that has worked tirelessly to support those inflicted with the disease.

#6 Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov achieved immortality through his phenomenal books and brilliant mind. His science fiction is still rated among the best writings ever put to paper. He was the vice president of Mensa International, and a professor of biochemistry at Boston University. Sadly, he suffered a heart attack in the 1970's and had triple bypass surgery in 1983. He contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during that surgery. His family issued statements saying the writer had died from heart and liver failure, but he had already publicly announced to the world earlier that same year that he did, in fact, have HIV and possibly AIDS.

#7 Elizabeth Glaser

Elizabeth Glaser was the wife of actor Paul Michael Glaser. She became known worldwide after contracting AIDS while giving birth in the early 1980's, at a time when the disease was still yet unknown to most people. She got the illness while having a blood transfusion while giving birth. Glaser breastfed her baby daughter Ariel and passed the virus to her. To make things worse, she gave birth to another child a few years later who contracted HIV in utero. Her daughter passed away in 1988 with advanced stages of AIDS. In order to help others and raise awareness about HIV in children, Glaser lent her name to promote awareness to the deadly disease at a time when everyone was so afraid of what it was and where it really came from. She co-founded the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. She died in early 1994.

#8 Ryan White

Though he was not a famous celebrity, Ryan White became the poster boy for the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as bullying when he got infected in the middle 1980's from a blood transfusion. At the time, he was one of the first children to ever be diagnosed, and still, people were relying on news reports that were incorrect to base their fears on. He was given less than a year to live, his peers started bullying him at school and he was eventually kicked out of middle school because of his disease. This was at the time when it was being reported that only gay men could get the illness and infection. As his story was brought to the forefront he made a lot of famous friends including Michael Jackson and Elton John. Refusing to die without a fight, White surprised the medical community and lived more than 5 years longer than doctors had previously told him. He died one month before finishing high school.

#9 Amanda Blake

Some may remember Amanda Blake. She was a beautiful red-haired actress who became famous for her role as Miss Kitty Russell on the popular TV western 'Gunsmoke,' which ran on CBS radio and TV for over 30 years. The actress was a chain smoker for a big portion of her life and eventually got oral cancer, which she managed to keep under control for more than ten years. When she passed away in 1989 it was reported that she died from cancer. However, the real cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest due to liver failure and CMV hepatitis, an AIDS-related condition. Even though it was later confirmed that she had suffered from AIDS, no one knows how and when she contracted the virus. Her fourth husband Mark Spaeth also died of an AIDS-related condition one year earlier.

#10 Anthony Perkins

The Oscar winner and Golden Globe nominee is best known for his role of the crazed son Norman Bates in the iconic Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho. Admittedly bisexual, Perkins was no stranger to ridicule in Hollywood. He married and had two children, but also openly dated men, including Stephen Sondheim. He was diagnosed with AIDS in the mid-80's and succumbed to the disease in 1992. In his last interview for Rolling Stone magazine, Perkins said that he didn't believe that AIDS was God's vengeance and that it was supposed to teach people how to âÂ€Â˜love and understand and have compassion for each other.'

#11 Rudolf Nureyev

Rudolf Nureyev was one of the most famed ballet dancers of the 20th century. After Nureyev defected to Europe, the Soviet-born performer met the love of his live, famous Danish dancer Erik Bruhn, whom he stayed with for 25 years, until Bruhn's death in 1986 from AIDS. Nureyev was diagnosed with HIV in 1984 but never let it be known because of it affecting his career. He died of AIDS-related complications in 1993 at the age of 54.

#12 Brad Davis

Movie lovers may remember Davis from such hits as Midnight Express or Querelle, for which he won a Golden Globe award. The married father of two, Davis admitted he had sex with men and said he was actually bisexual. He played homosexual characters in Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart (now a movie) and the movie Querelle. However, he was diagnosed with HIV and was spending his last days in the hospital, where he tragically decided to end his own life by suicide after being diagnosed with full AIDS.

#13 Lance Loud

One of televisions first 'reality' stars, Lance was the son on the PBS series "An American Family," and was not afraid to tell the world that he was gay. In the series second episode he rocked the viewers of over 10 million by announcing he was homosexual and that he was not ashamed of it. He attracted national attention and was soon being touted as America's poster boy for homosexuals. His bombastic personality and aggressive personality soon led him to drug use and he died from liver failure caused by AIDS and hepatitis C.

#14 Eazy-E

He grew up poor in the projects, dropped out of school and became a notorious drug dealer. He dreamed of one day making it big, and he set his mind to it. He invested his 'hard earned' cash in to Ruthless Records and released his first album with NWA, a hip hop group that also included Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. (Now a movie 'Straight Outta Compton') Known as the Godfather of Gangsta Rap, he went to the hospital ER for what he believed was an asthma attack, and was told he had AIDS. He suffered for a month with complications until he passed away at the age of just 31.

#15 Tom Fogerty

Tom Fogerty and his younger brother John had always wanted to have a rock band, so they decided to form one, ultimately becoming known as the founding members of one of the most influential bands ever, Creedence Clearwater Revival. The two brothers did not get along very well, and after a bitter fight, Tom left the band, which resulted in the end of CCR in 1972. To make things worse, the two never managed to put an end to their feud, and Tom was unable to forgive John, even when he knew he was dying. He died form 'complications due to AIDS' at the age of 48, in 1990.

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