HIV is one of the worst infections of the 21st century, known as the immunodeficiency virus and killing more than 2 million lives each year, including celebrities who died from AIDS. According to 2015 data, the number of HIV-infected people in Russia exceeded 900 thousand people, which, of course, indicates the serious scale of the problem. AIDS destroys the immune system and leads to the fact that seemingly common diseases, which in other cases are treatable, lead to the death of a person, because his body is absolutely defenseless in front of them.
AIDS Day Remembrance Day
Every year on the third Sunday of May, International AIDS Day is commemorated. The main goal of this event is to draw attention to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome as a real threat to society. This day began to be celebrated since 1988, when the AIDS epidemic was at the peak of its spread. Since then, a lot of effort has been made to search for highly effective drug methods for fighting HIV, however, unfortunately, such vaccines have not yet been found. Therefore, even with active treatment and the patient having sufficient financial resources for this, the disease still remains an invincible enemy. This sad fact is confirmed by deceased celebrities from AIDS.
AIDS is an idol-killing killer
AIDS arose in the era of rock and roll, sex and drugs, but those who do not lead a hectic life can also become infected, because cases of infection through the blood during operations are not so rare. HIV does not spare anyone: neither the poor, nor the rich, nor the townsfolk, nor the stars. Which celebrity died of AIDS, and what caused their infection?
Freddie Mercury
Unfortunately, AIDS celebrities are far from rare. One of the most famous people who died from this disease is the lead singer of the rock band Queen Freddie Mercury. On November 23, 1991, the famous singer officially announced his HIV disease, which was an unexpected blow for his fans and even relatives. For several years, the singer hid his fortune and continued to actively perform concerts. And just the day after his statement, Mercury died of bronchopneumonia, which developed as a result of AIDS.
Freddie Mercury was neither a drug addict nor a homosexual, so the reason he became infected with AIDS remains a mystery. According to one of the most popular hypotheses, the rock singer was deliberately infected through the blood of his ill-wishers. Mercury funded the creation of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charitable foundation for HIV patients.
Isaac Asimov
American science fiction writer
Isaac Asimov also passed away due to AIDS at 72 years old in 1992. The author of science fiction novels caught HIV infection during a blood transfusion during a heart bypass surgery in 1983. He found out about this tragic circumstance only six years later, when he was preparing for a second operation. The writer tried to keep the fact of his illness a secret. His wife told the world about the real cause of Azimov’s death only 10 years later, so he was also included in the list of “Celebrities who died from AIDS.
Rudolf Nuriev
Russian celebrities who have died of AIDS also complement the terrifying picture of the devastating consequences of this disease of our time.
AIDS cut short Rudolf Nuriev’s life in 1993, when the Soviet classical ballet dancer was 54 years old. It is no secret that a world-famous dancer who made a real revolution in male ballet was homosexual and cohabited with Danish dancer Eric Brun. In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDS and, despite expensive treatment using the most modern means and experimental drugs, the disease was never defeated.
Ofra Haza
Ofra Haza, an Israeli singer and actress who was named the best in her country four times in a row, died at 42. The official cause of her premature death was called pneumonia, but according to an unofficial version of the root cause of the death of the singer was AIDS, which Haza infected from her husband Doron Ashkenazi. Some sources claim that Ofra was ashamed of her illness and therefore hid information about him until the very end.
Rock hudson
AIDS celebrities have often been gay. It is also impossible not to mention the legendary American actor Rock Hudson, who broke the hearts of fans for several decades. AIDS ended his life in 1985, when his lungs and heart stopped working due to infection. The actor was 60 years old. Although Hudson was married to actress Phyllis Gates for several years, he still had homosexual tendencies and was one of the first to become infected with HIV at the dawn of her appearance.
The fight against AIDS
Few people are ready to openly declare that they are infected with HIV, because they are afraid of condemnation of the public and relatives, because the prejudice that the disease affects only those who lead an asocial lifestyle is still quite strong. Meanwhile, the number of Russian celebrities who have died of AIDS or are struggling with this disease is constantly growing. Recently, the famous Russian journalist and TV presenter Pavel Lobkov admitted that he has HIV. Vlad Topalov, a popular singer and participant in the AIDS movement, also took an HIV test, but, fortunately, the result was negative.
Active support of various charitable foundations aimed at combating AIDS is provided by such celebrities as Sir Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Ashley Judd, Anna Kournikova, Charlize Theron and others. Famous Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor once said such inspiring words in her interview: “AIDS is not a sentence. We must not be afraid and stop the spread of this catastrophic epidemic in the US and in the world. ”
Often, HIV campaigns are organized by global brands. For example, once the company H&M attracted pop idols and other stars to the project of designer clothes. A quarter of the proceeds from the sale of exclusive items were allocated to AIDS funds.
Nike has a special project with red laces. All money from the sale of these shoelaces goes to charity. Maria Sharapova and Andrey Arshavin, sports idols and Russian celebrities, encourage their fans to buy red shoelaces.
People who have died of AIDS cannot leave us indifferent. The disease has become a global problem, and everyone should make every possible effort to combat it. At least, we are largely able to protect ourselves from this terrible infection.