Van Cliburn dies at 78

Wow. Is his mother still alive?

http%3A//www.star-telegram.com/2013/02/27/4647640/van-cliburn-dies.html



• Gay? No mention of a wife and children in his obit.

• WOW! this is a big deal. yes, he was rumored to be gay

• Oh yeah, I always assumed he was gay. He lived with his mother, maybe his whole life? Known to be very devoted to her; you'd think the obit would have mentioned whether she predeceased him.

  OP

• My mom died in her 80s and her mother died only a few weeks before she did.

• [quote] yes, he was rumored to be gay No longer a rumor [quote]....he died at his home, which he shared with Thomas L. Smith, who survives him.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/arts/music/van-cliburn-pianist-dies-at-78.html%3Fpagewanted%3Dall

• He was rumored to be difficult

• Yes, he was gay. The Washington Post mentioned that he had a domestic partner of 17 years who tried to get money out of him when they separated.

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/van-cliburn-celebrated-classical-pianist-dies-at-78/2013/02/27/beb517ac-3636-11e1-afdf-67906fc95149_story_2.html

• He could be very funny and charming as this appearance on "What's My Line?" shows.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lUFFZqXtoM

• It must have been terrifying to be successful and gay in the 1950s. I would never have done What's My Line. What if one of them had brought up romance?

• His real first name, though, was Harvey.

• An NPR discussion about him today said there's a great story about him in today's NY Times.