Famous People Who Died Of AIDS.

Legendary singer, songwriter and lead vocalist of the British rock band, Queen, Frederick Bulsara adopted the name Freddie Mercury which aptly suits his on-stage vibrant and exuberant persona. A four-octave vocal range musician, Mercury owned every stage he set foot on as much with his vivid performance as with his superhuman voice modulation.  

Widely regarded as the godfather of gangsta rap, Eazy-E was a rapper and record producer. He played a major role in popularizing gangsta rap and West Coast rap by forming N.W.A, which is considered one of the most influential and greatest hip hop groups of all time. Eazy-E died at the age of 30 after being diagnosed with AIDS.

Best known for his black and white photographs, Robert Mapplethorpe chose homoerotic themes to express himself. His male nudes reflected the gay BDSM subculture of New York. His works also included flowers, still lifes, and portraits of celebrities. The gay photographer-artist eventually died of aids.

Designer Halston began his career designing hats for American milliner Lilly Daché. He is primarily remembered for pioneering cashmere, or Ultrasued, in the mid-1970s. Known for his party-loving personality, he popularized the halter dress for women. He was also known for his homosexual relationship with Victor Hugo.

Roy Cohn was an American lawyer who played a major role during the 1954 Army–McCarthy hearings where he served as Senator Joseph McCarthy's chief counsel. He also mentored Donald Trump during his early business career. After his death, Roy Cohn inspired the development of several fictional characters.

Klaus Nomi was a German countertenor with a wide vocal range. He wore heavy makeup, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo. He had an otherworldly stage persona that was unique to him. His music was also considered unusual. He suffered from AIDS and was one of the earliest musicians known to die of the illness.  

Peter Allen was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, and entertainer. Best remembered for his flamboyant stage persona, Allen also enjoyed a concert and cabaret career. His life and career inspired a jukebox musical titled, The Boy from Oz ,which ran on Broadway. In 1993, Peter Allen was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Keith Haring was an American artist whose pop art contained sexual images, which he used to advocate for AIDS awareness and safe sex. In 1989, he set up the Keith Haring Foundation to provide imagery and funding to AIDS organizations. In 2019, 29 years after his death from AIDS-related complications, Haring was inducted into the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor.

Félix González-Torres was an American visual artist best remembered for his sculptures and minimal installations made out of everyday objects like lightbulbs, stacks of paper, clocks, and packaged hard candies. In 2010, his 1992 piece Untitled sold for $4.6 million at an auction. Félix González-Torres died at the age of 38 due to complications from AIDS.

Cazuza was a Brazilian singer-songwriter remembered as one of the greatest exponents of Brazilian rock music. Over the course of his nine-year career, Cazuza sold over five million albums and achieved 18 Top 10 singles in Brazil. He died due to a septic shock triggered by AIDS at age 32. His life inspired the 2004 biopic Cazuza–O Tempo Não Pára.