Actor and activist Michael Kearns, known for his roles in Cheers and Beverly Hills, 90210, has died at age 76. The actor was an advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS and broke barriers by announcing his HIV status in 1991
MIcahel Kearns died on October 5, according to reports. Filmmaker and longtime friend Roland Palencia confirmed his death, saying that the actor had been “in and out of emergency rooms over five times within a three-month period,” per Entertainment Weekly.
Palencia didn’t specify more about his friend’s health problems. He added that Michael Kearns was “a friend, mentor, neighbor, and my movie buddy.”
A cause of death has not yet been announced. However, what we do know is that Michael Kearns shared he was HIV-positive and revealed his diagnosis on television in 1991.
The actor was a pioneer who helped change Hollywood, fighting for people living with HIV and AIDS at a time when the stigma surrounding the disease was massive.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1950, Kearns discovered his love of acting as a child. He later studied drama in Chicago before beginning his professional career.
Kearns made his first television appearance in The Waltons in 1974 and went on to appear in several popular shows, including Cheers, Knots Landing, Murder, She Wrote, and Beverly Hills, 90210.
Michael Kearns, pioneering gay ‘Cheers’ and ‘Bevery Hills 90210’ actor, dies at 76
He also appeared in the 1984 film Body Double and HBO’s drama And the Band Played On, which told the story of the early AIDS crisis.
Kearns was among the early openly gay actors in Hollywood, at a time when many performers feared that being open about their sexuality could damage their careers. In 1991, he publicly revealed that he was HIV-positive, wanting to challenge the shame and discrimination surrounding the disease.
He also played HIV-positive characters on television, helping bring the experiences of people living with the virus to a wider audience.
Away from the screen, Kearns worked as a director and activist. He co-founded Artists Confronting AIDS, an organization that used art and personal stories to raise awareness of the crisis.
On a personal level, Michael. Kearns also went through a lot. He married Philip Juwig in 1992, but his husband died that same year.
Broke stigma surrounding HIV
In 1995, Kearns adopted a daughter, Katherine, and became a single adoptive father. At the time, it was even far less common than being openly gay, living with HIV.
Kearns had been scheduled to take part in a special event celebrating LGBTQ+ theater history at Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles just days after his death.
Rest in peace, Michael Kearns. Please share this article to honor him and his fight to make the world a better place.