Thorson passed away in Los Angeles on August 16 at the age of 65, according to Variety .
His cause of death is not yet known, though he reportedly was a patient at an LA healthcare facility and suffered from cancer as well as a heart condition.
Thorson famously penned “Behind The Candelabra: My Life With Liberace,” his 1988 memoir revealing intimate details of his six-year romance with the late matinee idol, who passed away in 1987 of ailments related to HIV/AIDS.
Scott Thorson on “The View” on June 14, 2013. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
The book was later adapted into the Emmy-winning HBO movie of the same name directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Thorson.
Among the many scandalous claims in “Behind The Candelabra,” Thorson alleged that Liberace paid for him to get plastic surgery to make him resemble a younger version of the singer, including a nose job and a chin implant.
Thorson had previously divulged details about his and Liberace’s romance back in 1982 when he filed a $113 palimony lawsuit against the Las Vegas legend. In depositions resulting from the suit, Liberace denied he was gay and insisted that Thorson was never his lover.
Thorson and Liberace settled in 1986, with the entertainer’s former lover receiving $75,000 in cash, three cars and three pet dogs, which were valued at $20,000.
Thorson played the role of Liberace’s chauffeur in the performer’s Las Vegas show for all six years of their tumultuous relationship.
The pair parted ways once Thorson began using drugs more heavily. He accused Liberace of being in part responsible for his addiction, saying that he started to abuse substances only after being prescribed quaaludes, amphetamine, cocaine and Demerol as he recovered from the plastic surgery operations Liberace asked him to undergo.
Scott Thorson arraigned in Los Angeles in 1988. He pleaded not guilty to several counts of robbery. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Thorson went on to have an equally salacious second act in life after he became a key figure in the trial for the 1981 killings commonly known as the Wonderland Massacre.
Thorson testified against nightclub owner and drug dealer Eddie Nash following the murders of four people on Wonderland Avenue in the storied Los Angeles neighborhood of Laurel Canyon. Nash reportedly believed the four people were responsible for robbing his home and shooting a bodyguard.
Despite Thorson’s testimony accusing Nash of orchestrating the murders, the latter went free after the trial ended in a hung jury. Nash died in 2014.
A September 4, 2013 booking photo of Scott Thorson after his arrest for violating the terms of his probation when he failed a drug test September 5, 2013 in Reno, Nevada. Thorson was on probation for identity theft and burglary. WireImage
Thorson said he went into federal witness protection after the trial and changed his name to Jess Marlow.
Thorson struggled with addiction during the remainder of his life. In 2008, he was sentenced to four years in prison after he plead guilty to felony drug and burglary charges.
He was later sentenced to 8 to 20 years in prison for failing a court-ordered drug test while on probation for burglary and identity theft convictions.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local Los Angeles, CA
Most Popular
Comments / 0