Rock Hudson
Famous for his roles in romantic comedies in the ’50s and ’60s, including Pillow Talk in which he starred with Doris Day, Hudson announced that he had AIDS on July 25, 1985, in a press release. He became the first major celebrity to disclose his status publicly, and his $250,000 donation helped start amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, one of the earliest and most successful HIV charities. He died on October 2 of AIDS-related causes that same year. He was 59.
