LIZA MINNELLI - MINNELLI ALERTED TAYLOR TO ROCK HUDSON'S AIDS CRISIS

MINNELLI ALERTED TAYLOR TO ROCK HUDSON'S AIDS CRISIS

LIZA MINNELLI introduced ELIZABETH TAYLOR to the horrors of the AIDS epidemic after realising their mutual friend ROCK HUDSON had contracted the killer disease. The CABARET star was shocked by Hudson's appearance when she invited the late actor and Taylor to a concert and then met the stars backstage. She realised that his look was similar to that of gay friends of hers in New York - and revealed her shock to Taylor, who has since become a leading HIV and AIDS activist. Minnelli recalls, "I hadn't seen him (Hudson) in a long time... (and) he looked different. I thought that he looked like just a couple of friends that I had seen lately in New York, who had this new disease. "I said to Elizabeth, 'There is something called AIDS, and I don't know, but I think Rock may have it.' She said, 'He looks ghastly, what is it?' "I explained it to her as much as I knew and she said, 'We have to do something."