While the entertainer’s publicist claimed his death was due to complications from the fad “Watermelon Diet,” close friends knew (and others suspected) that Liberace had died of AIDS. Liberace spent his last days cuddling his dogs and watching reruns of The Golden Girls, according to author David Wallace, whose book, A City Comes Out, details the gay and lesbian history of Palm Springs and its connections to Hollywood. His death was announced later that afternoon to the anxious crowd of fans who had been holding a vigil outside his Palm Springs estate since his return from Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage three days earlier he had been suffering from a mysterious ailment. Liberace passed away on the morning of Feb. Editor’s Note: The is the second of a two-part series on the history of the LGBTQ community featuring author David Wallace.