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Scott Thorson, the former lover of legendary entertainer Liberace, has passed away at the age of 65.
Thorson, who was portrayed by Matt Damon in the 2013 HBO movie Behind the Candelabra, based on his 1988 book, died after battling a heart ailment and cancer.
Thorson’s relationship with Liberace began when he was 18 and Liberace was 57. The two were together for five years before Liberace terminated Thorson’s employment in 1982, five years before the entertainer’s death from HIV/AIDS-related complications in 1987.
Thorson filed a $113 million palimony lawsuit against Liberace, which was settled out of court in 1986. The lawsuit was notable for being the first same-sex palimony suit ever filed in the U.S.
Liberace’s former lover Scott Thorson has died at the age of 65. Pictured 2013 in Reno, Nevada
Scott Thorson and Liberace pictured at the Coconut Grove in LA in April of 1979
Liberace denied being gay and claimed that he and Thorson had never been intimate, despite Thorson’s allegations to the contrary. In the settlement, Thorson received $75,000 in cash, three vehicles, and three dogs, valued at $20,000.
Thorson’s book, Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, was published in 1988 and detailed his allegations of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Liberace. He also claimed that Liberace had funded numerous plastic surgery procedures to make Thorson resemble a younger version of himself.
Thorson was involved in Liberace’s Las Vegas stage show, where he would chauffeur the entertainer onto the stage in a rhinestone-laden outfit. He also struggled with drug addiction, which he attributed to the multiple surgeries he had undergone at Liberace’s request.
The 2013 HBO film based on Thorson’s book was a critical success, earning Michael Douglas a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Liberace. Matt Damon played Thorson in the film, which also starred Scott Bakula, Rob Lowe, Dan Aykroyd, and Debbie Reynolds.
Thorson was behind the wheel with Liberace in 1981 at La Cage Aux Folles in LA
Scott Thorson and Liberace were pictured with one another in 1982, the year Liberace terminated Thorson’s employment with him
Thorson was also involved in another high-profile case, the Laurel Canyon Murders in 1981, in which he testified against nightclub owner Eddie Nash, who was accused of ordering the murders of four people. Thorson said he had been at Nash’s home buying drugs and saw John Holmes, a porn star, being beaten and questioned about a robbery two days before the murders.
The trial resulted in a hung jury, and Nash died in 2014 without being convicted in connection with the killings. Thorson later changed his name to Jess Marlow and entered the federal witness protection program.
Thorson’s life was marked by struggles with drug and alcohol abuse, and he was sentenced to prison multiple times for drug-related offenses. He passed away on August 16, leaving behind a legacy as a key figure in the life of Liberace and a witness to one of Hollywood’s most infamous crimes.