HIV is one of the worst infections of the 21st century, known as the immunodeficiency virus, and claims over 2 million lives every year, including celebrities who died of AIDS. In Russia, the number of HIV-infected people in 2015 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 that are otherwise treatable lead to the death of a person, since his body is completely defenseless against them.
AIDS Memorial Day
Every year on the third Sunday of May, International AIDS Day is celebrated. The main goal of this event is to draw attention to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome as a real threat to society. This day has been celebrated since 1988, when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak. Since then, a lot of efforts have been made to find highly effective drug methods to combat HIV, but, unfortunately, such vaccines have not been found so far. Therefore, even with active treatmentand that the patient has sufficient financial resources for this, the disease still remains an invincible enemy. This sad fact is confirmed by the death of celebrities from AIDS.
AIDS is a killer that takes the lives of idols
AIDS originated in the era of rock 'n' roll, sex and drugs, but even those who do not lead a promiscuous life can become infected with it, because cases of infection through blood during operations are not so rare. HIV infection does not spare anyone: neither the poor, nor the rich, nor the townsfolk, nor the stars. Which celebrities died of AIDS, and what caused them to become infected?
Freddie Mercury
Celebrities who die of AIDS are, unfortunately, far from rare. One of the most famous personalities 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 for his relatives. For several years, the singer hid his condition and continued to actively perform with concerts. And literally the next 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 why he contracted 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. The Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charitable foundation for helping people with HIV, was created at Mercury's expense.
Isaac Asimov
American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov also died of AIDS at age 72 in 1992. The sci-fi writer contracted HIV through a blood transfusion during a heart bypass operation in 1983. He learned 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 until the very end. His wife told the world about the real cause of Asimov's death only 10 years later, so he was also included in the list of "Dead celebrities from AIDS".
Rudolf Nureyev
Russian celebrities who died of AIDS also complete the horrific picture of the devastating consequences of this disease of our time.
Rudolf Nureyev's life was cut short by AIDS in 1993, when the Soviet classical ballet dancer was 54 years old. It's no secret that the world-famous dancer who revolutionized men's 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 recognized as the best in her country four times in a row, has died at the age of 42. The official cause of her premature death wascalled pneumonia, but according to an unofficial version, the root cause of the singer's death was AIDS, which Haza contracted from her husband Doron Ashkenazi. Some sources claim that Ofra was ashamed of her illness and therefore withheld information about it until the very end.
Rock Hudson
Celebrities who died of AIDS were often gay. It is also impossible not to mention the legendary American actor Rock Hudson, who broke the hearts of fans for several decades. AIDS cut his life short in 1985 when an infection caused his lungs and heart to stop working. The actor was 60 years old. Although Hudson was married to actress Phyllis Gates for several years, he still had homosexual inclinations and was one of the first people to contract HIV in the early days of it.
Fight against AIDS
Few people are ready to openly declare that they are infected with HIV, because they are afraid of condemnation from the public and relatives, because the prejudice that the disease affects only those who lead an asocial lifestyle is still strong enough. Meanwhile, the number of Russian celebrities who have died of AIDS or are struggling with this disease is constantly growing. Recently, the well-known Russian journalist and TV presenter Pavel Lobkov admitted that he has HIV. Popular singer and AIDS activist Vlad Topalov also took an HIV test, but, fortunately, the result was negative.
Active support for various charitable foundations aimed at combating AIDS is carried outcelebrities such as Sir Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Ashley Judd, Anna Kournikova, Charlize Theron and others. The famous Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor once said these encouraging words in her interview: “AIDS is not a death sentence. It is our responsibility to stand up and stop the spread of this catastrophic epidemic in the US and the world.”
World brands often organize campaigns to fight HIV. 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 went to AIDS funds.
Nike has a special project with red laces. All proceeds from the sale of these laces go to charity. Maria Sharapova and Andrey Arshavin, sports idols and Russian celebrities, encourage their fans to buy red laces.
People who died of AIDS cannot leave us indifferent. The disease has become a global problem, and everyone must make every possible effort on their part to combat it. At the very least, we are largely able to protect ourselves from this terrible infection as much as possible.
