- Born
- 16 May 1919West Allis, Wisconsin, USA
- Died
- 4 February 1987Palm Springs, California, USA · aged 67
Liberace
The glittering showman at the piano was the highest-paid entertainer in the world – and denied being gay until his death from AIDS.
Władziu Valentino Liberace grew up in Wisconsin, the son of an Italian father and a Polish mother. He was a gifted pianist and played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 20. Soon he began mixing classical music with popular songs and jokes.
From the 1950s he became a huge star: on his own television show, in Las Vegas and on tours around the world. His trademarks were the candelabra on the piano, rhinestones, furs and ever more extravagant costumes. For years he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world.
When a British newspaper columnist insinuated in 1959 that he was homosexual, Liberace sued for libel and won – at a time when homosexuality was a crime in Britain and in most US states. All his life he publicly denied being gay. In 1982 his former partner and chauffeur, Scott Thorson, sued him for support, which made their relationship public.
Liberace died in Palm Springs in 1987, aged 67. His doctors tried to conceal the cause of death, but the coroner revealed that he had died of an AIDS-related illness. The film “Behind the Candelabra” (2013) tells the story of his relationship with Thorson.