Michael Kearns, an actor who broke barriers by announcing his HIV status in 1991, has reportedly died. He was 76.
Celebration Theatre – a Santa Monica, California, venue and one of the oldest LGBT+ theatre organizations – announced Kearns' death in an Oct. 6 Facebook post, which noted the actor had been scheduled to appear at an event Oct. 11, which is National Coming Out Day. Kearns was the theater's artistic director from 1986 to 1987.
He was set to perform selections from Robert Chesley’s 1986 play "Jerker," a story he directed that centers two gay men falling in love over a phone-sex line in the early years of the AIDS epidemic.
In an Oct. 7 tribute, his friend, Roland Palencia, wrote that on Oct. 4, Kearns asked for help getting ready for the
arrival of paramedics as "he was not feeling well." The following evening, on Oct. 5, Kearns "made his transition," according to Palencia.
"Michael's legacy in theaters, in performances, in wherever he went and touched, including our hearts, is unparalleled," he added. "All I know is that where his soul travels, it will be a much more interesting place, by far, ever!"
Michael Kearns trailblazed by sharing his HIV diagnosis on TV
In 1991, Kearns shared he was HIV-positive to NBC correspondent Faith Daniels, then revealed his diagnosis again on "Entertainment Tonight."
Days earlier, Golden Globe-winning "Midnight Express" actor Brad Davis died from complications related to AIDS, a diagnosis he had kept secret so he could continue working in Hollywood.
After Davis' death, on Sept. 11, 1991, The Los Angeles Times published excerpts from a book proposal he had been developing. In one portion, Davis criticized Hollywood's hypocrisy for throwing "umpteen benefits and charity affairs" for AIDS research while "in actual fact, if an actor is even rumored to have HIV he gets no support on an individual basis. He does not work."
Michael Kearns on the legacy of 'Jerker'
Kearns' TV roles included one-episode stints in the first season of "Cheers," Season 4 of "The Fall Guy," Season 1 of "Murder, She Wrote" and Season 12 of "Knots Landing." He also appeared on six episodes of "Days of Our Lives" in 1985 and had a three-episode arc as Hal on Season 7 of "Beverly Hills, 90210" in 1996.
However, one of his most enduring works was "Jerker," which had its world premiere at the Celebration Theatre in July 1986 and resulted in a warning from the Federal Communications Commission.
Excerpts from the play that were later broadcast on a local radio station resulted in an evangelical minister lodging a complaint to the FCC, which contributed to an ensuing crackdown on its definition of obscenity the following year.
Kearns saw the FCC issuing a threat to revoke the station's license as anti-gay, explaining to The Los Angeles Times in 1996 that "I was righteously infuriated and felt that clearly, if this had been a man and a woman having this conversation, having this theatricalized conversation over the radio, the issues would not have been the same."
"The play is really not about AIDS. That’s why it plays as purely in 1996 as it did in 1986, because it’s not bogged down by any stats," he said. "It has to do with two human beings connecting, and that’s why the play will play 100 years from now, long after I hope we’ve forgotten about AIDS."
Kearns is survived by his daughter, Katherine.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Kearns, actor who made history with HIV reveal, dies at 76
