Famous People With HIV

Leading a normal life as someone infected with HIV is extremely difficult due to the medical implications. Add to it the stigma and prejudice associated with the condition which further complicates the lives of those with HIV. However, being diagnosed as HIV positive need not be the end of the world as these celebrities with HIV have proved. Rock Hudson, a ‘heartthrob’ of the Hollywood Golden Age became the first prominent celebrity to die from AIDS-related complications and his death helped to shed light on the medical condition that was considered a taboo in the society and never publically discussed. Keith Christopher was another actor who despite his long struggle with AIDS was an active participant in the AIDS awareness movement. American tennis player Arthur Ashe who contracted HIV after a blood transfusion founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health before his untimely death. In the more recent times, social attitudes towards HIV and AIDS is changing and this has prompted HIV infected celebrities like Charlie Sheen, Magic Johnson, Viktor Luna, and Jerry Herman to openly disclose their condition in order to inspire other HIV patients. Check this section to know more about famous people who are/were known to have been infected with HIV virus.