What do Perry Ellis, Rock Hudson, Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch) and the Reverend James Cleveland have in common? They were all people in the limelight who died from the AIDS virus.
These people are just a few of the many whose lives were ended as the result of AIDS. Most look at the famous as more than human, even though it is known that they are just that.
While the older sector of entertainment saw its share of AIDS related cases, the younger generation of hip-hop was not to be untouched.
The most recognized face in the music industry for having died of AIDS is rapper, Eazy E. On March 15, 1995, Eric “Eazy-E” Wright laid in the intensive care unit of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 31 years old and fighting for his life. Heavily sedated, Eazy-E had a respirator tube running down his throat to help him breath.
About a week later, Wright fell unconscious and remained so until he died on March 26, 1995, at 6:35 p.m., from AIDS-related pneumonia.
The fact that entertainers can get sick just as regular people can, isn’t seen often in the eyes of their fans. However, in cases such as someone having AIDS, it is hard to go unnoticed.
For example, at the time of Rock Hudson’s death in 1985, there were only 8000 reported AIDS cases in the United States. The general public was not educated in this area, therefore they had to learn about the virus through television reports.
“Artists and entertainers include a wide variety of individuals involved in the creative and performing arts: painters, photographers, graphic artists, actors, filmmakers, musicians, and dancers.
The association of notable artists and entertainers with AIDS has played a major role in focusing the public’s attention on AIDS and in shaping social and cultural attitudes,” according to thebody.com.
As of today, the entertainment world as well as its beloved public have been educated in more than one way about the unfortunate virus.
