On this day in 1985, actor Rock Hudson, 59, became the first major U.S. celebrity to succumb to AIDS-related complications.
Hudson’s passing elevated public awareness concerning the epidemic, which had previously been largely overlooked by many in mainstream society, often dismissed as a “gay plague.”
Born Leroy Harold Scherer Jr. on November 17, 1925, in Winnetka, Illinois, Hudson emerged as a Hollywood heartthrob, enjoying a career in film and television that lasted nearly thirty years. With his leading-man charisma, he appeared in a multitude of dramas and romantic comedies throughout the 1950s and 60s, including Magnificent Obsession, Giant, and Pillow Talk. In the 1970s, he gained success on television with shows like McMillan and Wife. To maintain his strong masculine image, Hudson’s private life as a gay man remained hidden from the public eye.
While engaged in the production of the TV series Dynasty in 1984, Hudson received an AIDS diagnosis. On July 25, 1985, he publicly revealed his condition at a hospital in Paris, where he was seeking treatment. The revelation that Hudson, a globally recognized figure, was battling AIDS drew significant international attention to the disease and contributed to shifting public perception.
Society has progressed… individuals today are more informed. It is indeed regrettable that this remarkable actor, who brought joy to countless people, needed to conceal his true self.
The initial cases of AIDS emerged in 1981, primarily affecting gay men who often encountered significant public animosity and stigma. Despite calls from scientists and health officials for funding to address the epidemic, President Ronald Reagan’s administration largely disregarded their pleas. Rock Hudson, a friend of Reagan’s, was said to have influenced the president’s perspective on the disease with his death. Nevertheless, Reagan faced criticism for not publicly addressing AIDS until 1987; by then, over 20,000 Americans had already died from the illness, which had spread to more than 100 countries. By 2006, the AIDS virus had claimed 25 million lives globally and infected an additional 40 million people.
