Celebrities who spoke publicly about HIV and AIDS

HIV is not the same story it was in the 1980s.

Today, with proper medical care, people living with HIV can live long, healthy lives. The CDC says HIV can be controlled with treatment, and people who get on and stay on effective treatment can protect their health and their partners.

But the history of HIV and AIDS is also full of loss. Many artists, actors, musicians, athletes, and public figures died during years when treatment was limited, stigma was intense, and public understanding was poor.

Let’s see the stars who have publicly shared that they are living with HIV, and stars we lost to AIDS-related illness or HIV-related complications.

1. Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson changed the public conversation about HIV when he announced in 1991 that he had tested positive.

At the time, many people wrongly believed HIV affected only certain communities. Johnson’s announcement forced millions of people to rethink what they thought they knew about the virus. He retired from basketball, later returned in different ways, and became one of the most visible long-term public figures living with HIV.

His story helped show that HIV could affect anyone, and that treatment, awareness, and support mattered.

2. Billy Porter

Billy Porter publicly revealed in 2021 that he had been living with HIV since 2007.

The Pose actor and Tony-winning performer said he had kept his diagnosis private for years because of shame and fear, then chose to speak openly. WebMD and Prevention include Porter among public figures who have shared their HIV status.

3. Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan Van Ness revealed in his memoir Over the Top that he is living with HIV.

The Queer Eye star has spoken about his diagnosis publicly and used his platform to reduce stigma. Business Insider lists Van Ness among celebrities who have spoken about being HIV positive.

4. Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen publicly disclosed in 2015 that he was HIV positive.

His announcement drew major media attention because he had been one of Hollywood’s most recognizable TV and film stars. Business Insider lists Sheen among public figures living with HIV.

5. Greg Louganis

Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis has publicly shared that he is living with HIV.

Louganis was diagnosed before the 1988 Seoul Olympics and later spoke openly about HIV, fear, stigma, and athletic pressure. Prevention includes Louganis among celebrities living with HIV and discussing what they wish people understood about the condition.

6. Mykki Blanco

Musician, poet, and performer Mykki Blanco has publicly discussed living with HIV.

Blanco shared their HIV-positive status in 2015 and has since been part of conversations around HIV stigma, queerness, race, music, and public visibility. TheBody includes Blanco among public figures who have spoken about HIV.

Their openness helped expand HIV conversations beyond older stereotypes.

7. Andy Bell

Andy Bell, lead singer of Erasure, publicly shared that he is HIV positive.

He has spoken about living with HIV while continuing his music career. Bell’s disclosure helped show that HIV can be managed while a person continues working, performing, and living publicly.

8. Ongina

Drag performer Ongina publicly disclosed her HIV-positive status on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The moment became one of the most emotional early scenes in the show’s history and helped bring HIV visibility to a new reality-TV audience. Ongina later continued to be an advocate and performer.

Her story shows how one public disclosure can help viewers feel less alone.

9. Rock Hudson

Rock Hudson was one of the first major Hollywood stars publicly associated with AIDS.

The classic film actor died of AIDS-related complications in 1985. The Advocate notes that Hudson was the first major Hollywood star to die of the illness, and his death helped push AIDS into mainstream public conversation.

His death also helped inspire Elizabeth Taylor’s AIDS activism, including her work supporting AIDS research and fundraising.

10. Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury died in 1991 from AIDS-related complications.

The Queen frontman had announced shortly before his death that he had AIDS. His death shocked fans around the world and remains one of the most famous losses connected to the AIDS crisis.

Mercury’s legacy remains huge: his voice, songwriting, stage presence, and Queen’s music still reach new generations.

11. Pedro Zamora

Pedro Zamora became one of the most important young public educators on HIV and AIDS.

He appeared on The Real World: San Francisco in 1994 and used reality television to speak openly about living with AIDS. Zamora died later that year at age 22. WebMD includes him among famous public figures connected to HIV/AIDS history.

His visibility helped many viewers understand HIV in a more human way.

12. Eazy-E

Rapper Eazy-E died in 1995 from AIDS-related complications.

As a founding member of N.W.A, he helped shape West Coast hip-hop. His sudden public diagnosis and death shocked fans and brought HIV awareness into hip-hop conversations. His death remains one of music’s most discussed AIDS-related losses.

13. Gia Carangi

Gia Carangi was one of the first widely known supermodels and died of AIDS-related complications in 1986.

Her life later inspired the HBO film Gia, starring Angelina Jolie. TheBody and HIV/AIDS timeline sources list Carangi among notable people who died from AIDS-related illness. Her story is often remembered as both a fashion-industry tragedy and an early public example of AIDS affecting women.

14. Anthony Perkins

Anthony Perkins, best known for playing Norman Bates in Psycho, died in 1992 from AIDS-related illness.

The New York City AIDS Memorial timeline lists Perkins among major public figures who died of AIDS-related illness. His death became part of a larger conversation about silence, stigma, and privacy during the early AIDS crisis.

15. Robert Reed

Robert Reed, best known as Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch, died in 1992 from AIDS-related illness.

The New York City AIDS Memorial timeline lists Reed among actors who died of AIDS-related illness in 1992. For many fans, the news complicated his familiar TV image and showed how many public figures lived privately with stigma during that era.

16. Alexis Arquette

Alexis Arquette was an actor, performer, and trans public figure.

She died in 2016, and her death was publicly connected to complications related to HIV. WebMD includes Arquette among famous faces of HIV and AIDS. Her legacy includes acting, performance, and visibility as part of the Arquette family and LGBTQ+ entertainment history.

17. Keith Haring

Artist Keith Haring died in 1990 from AIDS-related complications.

His bold, graphic art became one of the most recognizable visual languages of the 1980s. Haring also used his work to address AIDS, activism, sexuality, racism, and public health. His art remains strongly tied to AIDS activism and public awareness.

18. Liberace

Liberace died in 1987, and his death was later publicly connected to AIDS-related illness.

The entertainer was one of the most famous showmen of his time, known for his piano performances, flamboyant costumes, and television presence. His story also reflects the secrecy and stigma that surrounded AIDS and sexuality during the 1980s.

19. Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe was a tennis champion, civil rights voice, and public health advocate.

He contracted HIV through a blood transfusion and later publicly disclosed his diagnosis. Ashe died in 1993 from AIDS-related pneumonia. His story became one of the most important public examples of HIV transmission through blood products before modern screening.

Ashe’s legacy remains larger than sports: dignity, activism, education, and public service.

20. Rudolf Nureyev

Rudolf Nureyev, one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of the 20th century, died in 1993 from AIDS-related complications.

His career reshaped ballet’s global image and made him one of the first male dancers to become an international celebrity. His death marked another major cultural loss during the AIDS crisis.

21. Isaac Asimov

Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov contracted HIV through a blood transfusion during heart surgery and later died from AIDS-related complications.

His family revealed the cause years later, explaining that doctors had advised secrecy at the time because of stigma. His story shows how even world-famous writers and intellectuals were affected by the fear surrounding HIV and AIDS.

Asimov remains one of science fiction’s most important authors.

22. Amanda Blake

Amanda Blake, best known for playing Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke, died in 1989.

Her death has often been reported as AIDS-related, and she became one of the earlier widely known female entertainers connected to the AIDS crisis. Her career on Gunsmoke made her one of classic television’s familiar faces.

23. Denholm Elliott

British actor Denholm Elliott died in 1992 from AIDS-related tuberculosis.

He was known for films including Trading Places, A Room with a View, and his role as Marcus Brody in the Indiana Jones series. His death was another reminder that AIDS affected performers across countries, industries, and generations. Elliott left behind a long and respected acting career.

24. Howard Ashman

Howard Ashman, the lyricist behind major Disney songs, died in 1991 from AIDS-related complications.

He helped shape The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, bringing Broadway-level songwriting into Disney animation. His work helped launch the Disney Renaissance.

Ashman’s legacy is heard every time audiences sing “Part of Your World,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Friend Like Me.”