www.findadeath.com 

GHHHHHRRRRRL. Liberace, or Lee to his confidantes, or "Miss Thing" to anyone else, desperately felt he needed to keep a tight lid on his homosexuality. He didn't dare risk offending his dear fans in any way. He ended up playing a bizarre cat and mouse game with the tabloids for his entire life. He even sued and WON cases where journalists implied he was gay. Go figure.

The first substantial break for the press was in 1983, when Scott Thorson sued Liberace for support. They were a couple for 5 years. The press coined the term "Galimony" during that trial, which Scott won. Legend has it that Thorson was awarded a penthouse atop an office building at 7461 Beverly Blvd, that Liberace owned. CORRECTION OCTOBER 2000: According to Findadeath.com friend Bob Barnes, Scott didn't exactly win the suit.  It was settled out of court for an estimated $95,000, far less than the millions he was suing for.  The palimony part of the suit was dropped at the very beginning because "contracts of a sexual nature" were inadmissible, or some such nonsense.  Also, Scott did not win that penthouse in the suit.  He was forcibly removed from it the very night that Liberace was performing at the Oscar ceremony.  That was the basis for a large portion of the suit against Liberace.  Scott was suing to get back his personal property still in Liberace's possession.   In fairness, he seemed to deserve some sort of compensation; this guy actually had plastic surgery to look more like Liberace himself. Enter Twilight Zone music…

The man with the rings had contracted the HIV virus, and his health deteriorated. He was losing weight, and looking gaunt. Bizarrely, the rumor of him being on the "Watermelon Diet," popular with celebrities at the time, actually seemed to appease people.

His sister Angelina heard the rumors that Lee was very sick. She demanded that he be taken immediately to the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. Word of Liberace's hospitalization leaked to the press. Doctors put him in Quarantine, which basically confirmed the AIDS rumor. After three days in the hospital in January 1987, he went home to die.

Outside the house at 226 Alejo Road, in Palm Springs, there were hoards of media types, and nearly 100 of his fans, who had begun their vigil when the seriousness of Liberace's condition was made known earlier that week. Note the candelabra in the driveway.

Wait.  How Cool.  New findadeath.com friend Stacey Reiseck was actually in Libby's Palm Springs death house.  She writes in:  "Scott - Check out the yellow/gold carpeting on the stairs.  This bookcase is at the top.  When you pulled out one of the bookcases, there was a bathroom with a toilet seat made of clear plastic, with gold coins in it.  Fab.  Here's my friend with a picture of Liberace in his younger days, from in the house.  Don't put my friend online, I don't think she'd dig it.  (I don't know why, Stacey.  She's quite a hottie.) These were taken in the summer of 1996.  Thanks so much Stacey. xx  FYI, the house is on the market now.  Someone go there and get pics of the bedroom, please.

In the meantime, Liberace spent his last days cuddling his 27 dogs, and watching the "Golden Girls," his favorite show. I ain't gonna say it.

At 2:05pm on Feb 4, 1987, in the presence of his sister Angelina Farrell, his sister in law, Dora Liberace, and Jamie Wyatt, described as Liberace's "friend and long-time companion," he died. He was 67 years old.

When they removed Liberace's body from the house to the coroner's van, a specially constructed tent was erm… erected, to prohibit photography of his corpse. His burial was postponed, until an autopsy could be performed two days after his death, confirming that he died of AIDS.

He was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, on February 7^th. His tomb is marked with his trademark signature. Lee is buried along with his mother, and brother, George. He has on his wig, a white tuxedo, and of course, full makeup. Included in his casket is a photo of his last boyfriend, and one of his favorite dog, Wrinkles.

Trivia: The only time he was ever seen in a business suit, was when he met Pope Pius XII. Liberace was a deeply religious man, and had a chapel built in his Palm Springs home. CORRECTION October 2000 - Findadeath.com friend Bob Barnes adds this:  The failure of Liberace's second television show was attributed to the fact that he wore only business suits.  He is pictured in business suits while signing contracts with NBC.  OK, so he had a few gold chains on as well.

From Findadeath.com friend Kevin Hassell: "I was just reading Star magazine, and there was an article about a new book on Liberace. In the book, the author claims that Liberace had an affair with Rock Hudson when Liberace was an established star, and Hudson was an up and coming actor. Hudson supposedly revealed this to an interviewer before he died.  

Thanks, Kevin.

Trivia 2: The Liberace Museum is located in the Liberace Plaza, 1775 E. Tropicana, in Las Vegas. Also included in this fabulous strip mall is a religious supply store called (I swear to God!) "Mary's Grotto" and a gay bar called "Good Times" located near the front (that's two). Drum roll please… We always knew that Lee liked Good Times at his entrance.

Photo's of Liberace's home, courtesy of Terri Rios

Thanks Terri! 

This just in, January 2003, from Findadeath friend Brett in Australia: