History Main / TragicAIDSStory

* In ''Theatre/{{Falsettos}}'', Whizzer spends most of Act Two hospitalized because of this, though the disease is never officially called as such due to the 1981 setting, [[spoiler: and he dies just before the show finishes]]. There is also some [[UncertainDoom ambiguity]] as to whether a similar fate awaits [[spoiler: Whizzer's lover, Marvin]], as Dr. Charlotte tells him the disease "spreads from one man to another". [[note]] The two-act musical was originally two separate one-act musicals, one written in 1981 and the other in 1990, later combined into one show. The contrast between the Act One and Act Two storylines thus reflects the tragic impact of AIDS on the gay community in real time.[[/note]]

* In ''Theatre/{{Falsettos}}'', Whizzer spends most of Act Two hospitalized because of this, though the disease is never officially called as such due to the 1981 setting, [[spoiler: and he dies just before the show finishes]]. There is also some ambiguity as to whether a similar fate awaits [[spoiler: Whizzer's lover, Marvin]], as Dr. Charlotte tells him the disease "spreads from one man to another". [[note]] The two-act musical was originally two separate one-act musicals, one written in 1981 and the other in 1990, later combined into one show. The contrast between the Act One and Act Two storylines thus reflects the tragic impact of AIDS on the gay community in real time.[[/note]]

* A very odd example occurs in ''{{VideoGame/Avalon}}'', where AIDS ended up wiping out an entire alien race known as the Sinnet, leaving only [[LastOfHisKind one survivor]] who wants revenge on humanity.

* Deconstructed in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS12E1TonsilTrouble Tonsil Trouble]]". Cartman contracts HIV after receiving a blood transfusion during routine tonsil surgery ([[ArtisticLicenseMedicine even though donated blood has been screened for HIV since the early '90s]] but it could speak to the incompetence of South Park doctors for having that happen), but he has a hard time finding anybody who cares since AIDS is viewed as a "forgotten" illness [[TheTopicOfCancer compared to cancer]]. He and Kyle (who Cartman also infected out of spite) seek out Magic Johnson and find out the reason he has been healthy all these years is that he sleeps with all his money, and scientists discover that the cure for AIDS is cash injected into the bloodstream... which means precisely jack to the people of Africa. The world is apathetic to this development because it wasn't the cure for cancer.

Most storylines featuring AIDS show a long, painful, death. The drama comes from the way that family and friends react to the character's diagnosis: is there an internal battle and then resolve to stay and help in hospice, or do they get sick at the idea of either watching their loved one die or watching ''[[{{Squick}} how]]'' they die,[[note]]This often involves Kaposi's sarcoma lesions, dementia, and extreme weight loss; dying of AIDS is not pretty[[/note]] and run away? Expect a lot of {{angst}}. A lot of characters who end up with this line of treatment are gay and usually men, but that's not always the case. Still, it was a common way to BuryYourGays.

This can be, from even the earliest outbreaks in TheEighties, a case of RealityIsUnrealistic -- trial medications like AZT helped some people, whereas others seemed to have bodies that miraculously cured themselves. As detailed in the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue of ''Film/Pride2014'', the third man ever to be diagnosed as HIV-positive is still alive today.

* ''Series/TheHoganFamily'': One of the final episodes, "The Worst Of Times, Best Of Friends," involves recurring character Rich learning he has AIDS. David, one of the main characters in the show, avoids him at first but once he learns more about AIDS and his condition, he reaches out to him and helps him enjoy life. The end of the episode is a flash forward to several weeks later, where David speaks at a high school assembly about the disease and dispels myths before tearfully explaining that Rich had died the night earlier.

* ''Series/FellowTravelers2023'': In 1986, Tim is dying from AIDS when Hawk wants to reconnect before it's too late. As its the time of the AIDS crisis, this is a threat all gay men are facing, and it hangs over the 1980s sequences and is explicitly discussed multiple times.

* In a case of this trope mixing with TheCoverChangesTheMeaning, Music/MichaelJackson's 1991 cover of "[[Music/{{Dangerous}} Gone Too Soon]]" is a eulogy to Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who was infamously expelled from school in 1985 after contracting HIV from a faulty Factor VIII blood treatment the year prior; White, who died of complications from AIDS in 1990, had befriended Jackson in the waning years of his life.

[[folder:Advertising]]
* One of the most shocking and innovative campaigns of TheNineties was by Benetton, who used a colorized picture of [[http://time.com/3503000/behind-the-picture-the-photo-that-changed-the-face-of-aids/ a man dying of AIDS on his deathbed, with his family.]] The story behind the picture is that of David Kirby, a famous gay activist in TheEighties who was diagnosed with AIDS during its height at the end of the decade, dying in 1990. The picture was taken moments before David died, though it wasn't until 1992 that the photo became viral, for the Benetton campaign.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'', the "Mother's Rosario" arc is about Yuuki Konno, a girl who was born with AIDS due to an infected blood transfusion given to her mother before she was born. Her whole family contracted HIV and had passed away, leaving her as the only one left alive (which included losing her [[AngstySurvivingTwin twin sister]]). She goes on to form a guild called the Sleeping Knights with several other kids who are also terminally ill, where they go on to play lots of [=VRMMOs=] together with their numbers dwindling as they succumb to their illnesses. When Yuuki debuts in the story, she and her friends decide to join the most fantastical game they can find ([=ALFheim=] Online) and permanently leave their mark. While there Yuuki made gained fame as the WorldsBestWarrior and recruited Asuna to help them defeat a Boss for a high score. Upon succeeding, Asuna finally manages to discover the truth behind Yuuki and finds her in the clean room of a hospital using a medicuboid VR device 24/7. No longer able to keep it a secret, Yuuki confesses her last wish is to attend a normal school, which Asuna arranges via a portable probe that allows her to see the real world without having to leave the hospital. From then on Asuna dedicates herself to making sure Yuuki can GoOutWithASmile. Eventually, Asuna is informed that Yuuki's condition has deteriorated and logs into ALO one last time. Yuuki passes on her Original-Sword-Skill as a parting gift before collapsing into Asuna's arms, as thousands of players come to visit her and honor her last moments.

[[folder:Comic Books]]

** John Byrne planned to bring Northstar out and have him die of AIDS in Issue 50 of the first series and had laid the groundwork, dropping hints as to Northstar's homosexuality and giving him a mysterious disease. At the last minute, this was changed, with Loki telling Northstar that he was half Asgardian elf and his illness was an allergy to Earth. Northstar moved to Asgard briefly and when he returned he was shown bored out of his mind and kicking himself for believing such a ridiculous story told by the god of lies.
** Northstar's actual coming out issue still addressed AIDS. Jean-Paul adopts a baby girl with the virus and names her Joanne, and she becomes a media darling across Canada. Seeing this drives retired superhero Major Mapleleaf insane with grief, as his own son had died of AIDS, but because he was gay, nobody cared and Mapleleaf had to watch him die. He shows up to "mercy kill" Joanne, which naturally leads to an epic fight across Toronto with Northstar. Northstar comes out as gay as he defeats Mapleleaf, but realizes the man is utterly broken and consoles him in the end. The issue ends with Joanne dying of AIDS while Northstar comes out to the general public in a press conference.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Circles}}'', the only character who dies is Paulie and he dies from HIV. His husband Douglas was devastated but soon he was comforted by everyone else. While everyone else was alive and had an EarnYourHappyEnding, at least Doug had a BittersweetEnding.
* ''ComicBook/DCPride2022'': In the autobiographical "Finding Batman" Creator/KevinConroy talks about how many gay men in the entertainment industry died of AIDS, with so many of his friends dying it felt like an entire generation was lost.

* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'', the inseparable lesbian couple Chantal and Zelda both die from AIDS. Chantal contracted it from an infected kidney transplant, Zelda is implied to have deliberately infected herself [[TogetherInDeath so she wouldn't have to be alone]].

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'''s Andy Lippincott first appeared in 1976 as a law school classmate of Joanie Caucus, who pursued him romantically until he confessed that he was gay. Flash forward fifteen years to 1989 where Joanie meets him again after a long absence from the comic. Andy was diagnosed with AIDS and made sporadic appearances over the following year before dying while listening to "Wouldn't It Be Nice" on the then-new CD release of Music/TheBeachBoys' ''Music/PetSounds''. The NAMES Project honoured Andy with a panel on the AIDS quilt (although it was never actually sewn into the quilt and currently hangs in the organisation's Atlanta office).

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''Film/BoysOnTheSide'': Robin it turns out is dying from AIDS. She succumbs near the end of the film.

* ''Film/DallasBuyersClub'': Only after [[spoiler:Rayon's death]] does Ron truly have a change of heart, and he begins to show compassion towards gay, lesbian, and transgender members of the club.
* It was not '''intended''' as this by writer-director Creator/DavidCronenberg, but ''Film/{{The Fly|1986}}'' -- coming as it did at the height of the panic over the disease -- was interpreted as this trope couched in fantastical terms by many critics and commentators: The DoomedProtagonist Seth, not long after he has entered into the first romantic relationship of his life, accidentally and unknowingly merges himself with a housefly via a TeleporterAccident. Now a HalfHumanHybrid his body begins to mutate from the inside out, with one of the first physical signs of the transformation being facial lesions. His entire human body effectively begins to painfully, inexorably rot -- he refers to it as "a bizarre form of cancer" -- and there seems to be no hope of staving it off or curing it; while it becomes clear that he's becoming a new lifeform, it is still going to be the death of him as a person. His faithful lover Veronica is discouraged by her ex-lover Stathis from being in contact with Seth because his condition might be ThePlague, and when she learns she is pregnant by Seth, realizes she might be bringing a mutant into the world. In the DownerEnding, [[spoiler:she must Mercy Kill him when his attempt to cure himself -- at her expense -- goes disastrously wrong]]. Cronenberg's story is actually a metaphor for aging, disease, and death in general, and if it's referring to a more specific illness it's TheTopicOfCancer, but the AIDS interpretation is still discussed and debated to this day.
* In the 2021 film adaptation of ''Theatre/EverybodysTalkingAboutJamie'', Hugo's MovieBonusSong "This Was Me" reflects on his time as a drag queen in London's gay club scene in the late 80s-early 90s, shown to Jamie through a home video montage. After two verses of triumph, partying, and rebellion, Hugo [[MoodWhiplash turns somber]] as, on video, the AIDS epidemic begins to impact his friends and community. Particular significance is given to Freddie Mercury's passing in 1991 as a milestone event that shook the British gay community. The montage ends on Hugo's lover and cameraman in the hospital, where it is implied he died.

* In ''Film/ForrestGump'', Jenny dies of a newly-discovered illness that made her "real tired all the time." It's never stated what the illness is by name, but given the time period (sometime in TheEighties by the end of the movie), and the wild bohemian lifestyle she led in [[TheSixties the '60s]] and [[TheSeventies '70s]] to cope with her painful childhood, it likely was AIDS. WordOfGod says that it was actually Hepatitis C.

* ''Film/HoldingTheMan'', an Australian movie adaptation of a memoir with the same name depicts the love story of said memoir's writer, Timothy "Tim" Conigrave, and his partner John Caleo which ends in John dying from the disease's complication and Tim following suit a few years later, ten days after he finished the memoir on October 6th, 1994. Both the book and the movie adaptation didn't hold back in describing/showing John's deteriorating progression of the disease and Tim's anguish coming from the guilt of infecting John.

* ''Film/LongtimeCompanion'' is about AIDS impacting the lives of several gay men, many of which die because of the disease. The film ends with a heartbreaking ImagineSpot where the three surviving main characters are walking along the beach and are reunited with their lost friends before it cuts back to the three of them alone and wondering if anyone will ever find a cure.
* In ''Film/{{Philadelphia}}'', Andrew Beckett develops AIDS symptoms around the beginning of the film and dies of it by the end. However, his lover Miguel lives and, it is specifically noted, has not been infected with AIDS. In addition, Beckett [[spoiler:won his case against his former law partners for firing him on the basis of his suspected illness and sexuality]].

** As in [[Theatre/TickTickBoom the original play]], Michael being HIV positive is a downplayed example of this trope, since while the diagnosis is seen as serious and makes Michael reconsider his views on things, he ends the film still alive, [[RealLifeWritesThePlot even outliving Jon]].[[note]] Michael's inspiration is still alive as of 2023, but since Michael is a fictionalization of the real person, his fate is left on an ambiguous note.[[/note]]
** Jon's friend and fellow waiter Freddy is a [[spoiler:subversion -- his health declines and he is hospitalized, seemingly on death's door, but ends up making a rebound and gets discharged before the end.]]

[[folder:Literature]]

* In ''Literature/{{Imajica}}'', a fantasy novel by British horror author Creator/CliveBarker (published in 1991), a subplot introduces an openly gay male couple who are friends of the Christ-like protagonist Gentle. One of the gay men, Taylor Briggs, dies of AIDS near the beginning of the story, while his partner Clem survives and goes on to help the protagonist. It is mentioned in passing that both men were in a lot of open relationships during the 1970s and "slept around" a lot, back before HIV became public knowledge; but only Taylor, the party animal, contracted HIV while his partner was plain lucky and never did, something for which Clem feels SurvivorGuilt. SubvertedTrope in that both men had been lovers for a long time and their love and relationship are depicted in a very positive light. Later on, Taylor returns as a ghost and reunites with Clem. At the end of the story, after the Reconciliation of all five realms, when all the souls of the dead of Earth and the other four Dominions are free to travel on to... somewhere else before he departs, Taylor asks his lover not to forget him but to go on with his life.
* ''Literature/TheLineOfBeauty'' is set as the AIDS crisis emerges, and the disease figures heavily into the characters' arcs. Leo, a boyfriend of Nick's, dies from the disease before the third act, and Wani, who is gay and closeted, [[spoiler:ends the novel wasting away because of it and will likely die soon. Nick muses that his own HIV test will likely come up positive as well]].

* Handled fairly realistically in ''Literature/ShesComeUndone'': [[spoiler:Mr. Pucci and his partner Gary both die of AIDS]], but the focus is more on [[spoiler:Mr. Pucci's grief]], his uncertainty as he waits to see if he will develop the virus, and early 1980s misunderstanding and prejudice toward AIDS/HIV.
* ''Literature/TellTheWolvesImHome'': June's beloved uncle Finn dies because of AIDS as the novel starts, and much of the book is centered around his lover Toby, who is similarly suffering from the disease. [[spoiler:Toby deteriorates rapidly near the end of the novel and dies, much to June's heartbreak.]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In the finale of ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy'', teenager [[spoiler:Justin]] dies of AIDS just as his life was [[YankTheDogsChain starting to look up]]; he'd unknowingly contracted HIV a few years earlier while [[spoiler:working as a prostitute to support himself and his heroin addiction]]. The plotline was actually [[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/13-reasons-why-criticised-for-irresponsible-aids-storyline/amp/ criticized]] for coming off as inaccurate and outdated ([[spoiler:Justin]]'s condition was unlikely to have progressed to AIDS and death in the given timeframe, and by 2020 there's enough research around HIV that it can be treated).
* In the ''Series/Babylon5'' episode [[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E18ConfessionsAndLamentations Confessions and Lamentations]], a ship of the Markab people comes to the station carrying a disease that is 100% deadly to their race (and some others with similar blood). Because it originated on an isolated island known for its immorality (their version of Sodom and Gomorrah), the Markab believe the cause ''was'' immorality, and refuse to even speak of it, let alone allow Dr. Franklin, chief medical officer, to try to help them. Insisting they are moral and won't contract the disease, they lock themselves into quarantine, away from the other "immoral" races. Delenn, ambassador from the Minbari and trusted by the Markab, insists on trying to minister for them. Later, when the crew has found a cure, using other species to test, they open the quarantine area to find a shattered Delenn, and all the Markab on the station succumbed to the disease.
* A storyline in ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' sees Kelly befriending Jimmy Gold, a MagicalQueer patient in the AIDS hospice she volunteers at. He succumbs to the disease soon after.
* ''Series/ColdCase'' has an episode where the detectives are re-investigating the murder of a gay man in the 1980s. The victim became an AIDS activist after his lover contracted HIV. Flashbacks show him receiving a lot of grief from many gay people who were not yet aware of the seriousness of the situation and thought it was another ploy to destroy the subculture they have built. The present-day investigation is complicated by the fact that many of the witnesses have died of AIDS in the meantime. The victim's lover actually survived the disease and went into remission, and he is the one who comes to the Cold Case detectives asking for the case to be reopened.

[[folder:Music]]

* "Letting the Cables Sleep" by Bush was written for a friend of his who had contracted HIV and tried to keep his diagnosis quiet out of fear of rejection.
* Music/{{Prince}}: The TitleTrack to ''Music/SignOTheTimes'' kicks off with a pair of lines describing how "in France a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name; by chance his girlfriend came across a needle and soon she did the same," alluding to the AIDS crisis and the high rates of infection among heroin users. This event is juxtaposed with a number of other scenes of disaster, hardship, and overall tragedy.

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In ''Theatre/{{Falsettos}}'', Whizzer spends most of Act Two hospitalized because of this, though the disease is never officially called as such due to the 1981 setting, [[spoiler:and he dies just before the show finishes]]. There is also some ambiguity as to whether a similar fate awaits [[spoiler:Whizzer's lover, Marvin]], as Dr. Charlotte tells him the disease "spreads from one man to another". [[note]] The two-act musical was originally two separate one-act musicals, one written in 1981 and and the other in 1990, later combined into one show. The contrast between the Act One and Act Two storylines thus reflects the tragic impact of AIDS on the gay community in real-time.[[/note]]

* ''Theatre/TheNormalHeart'', a 1985 play about the dawn of the AIDS epidemic in the gay community in the early '80s. Painfully TruthInTelevision; it is an essentially autobiographical account of Larry Kramer's founding of the Gay Men's Health Crisis and, later, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). The main character, Ned Weeks, is essentially Kramer; his "great, true love" Felix dies of AIDS at the end of the play, as do several other main characters and hundreds offscreen. The play's raw fury at the government's and the rest of the world's refusal to help -- even as the death toll exceeded that of the American Civil War -- when the play debuted in '85 is in part credited with bringing national attention to the crisis for the first time.

[[folder:Video Games]]

* In the VideoGame/CriminalCaseTheConspiracy case "[[Recap/CriminalCaseTheConspiracyCase07Flatline Flatline]]", family doctor Greg Gibbs is found dead amongst the wreckage of an earthquake with his throat cut open. One of the suspects is a plumber, Richard Harding. He winds up further on the suspect list when you find out he is HIV positive. When questioned, he reveals that he actually wanted to switch doctors, as while Gibbs promised to keep Richard's illness a secret, he ended up sending a brochure on supporting an HIV-positive person to Harding's wife. The wife assumed Richard was hiding the disease from her (he was actually trying to find the right way to tell her), and thus divorced him. [[spoiler:You ultimately find out that Richard is the killer. When being arrested, he explains that while he was working in the walls of Greg's office after the divorce, he overheard Dr. Gibbs dictate that he actually was the one who gave Richard the HIV in the first place, as he used a dirty needle when doing a blood test on him. When Richard rightfully confronted the doctor, Gibbs tried to buy him off and said he had no proof, but Richard was ''not'' having it. When the earthquake struck, Richard saw his chance for revenge, killing Greg and leaving his body amongst the rubble.]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]

->'''Nurse''': Do you engage in unprotected sex?\\
'''Anwar''': Every film I’ve seen with a gay person ends with them having sex and dying of AIDS. I don’t wanna die. So, yeah, I always use a condom.

* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'' of all things had a particularly poignant AIDS issue. The character who died, Jim Wilson, wasn't some random [[LongLostUncleAesop one-shot]] but a friend of Bruce Banner's who had been a recurring character for years. The issue dodges the [[ReedRichardsIsUseless tricky subject]] of whether or not the Hulk's blood can cure AIDS (the same way it saved [[ComicBook/SheHulk his cousin]] from a gunshot wound) by having Banner not want to risk creating another monster, and he only pretends to give his blood. Jim later reveals that he wasn't fooled by the ruse but still dies on good terms with his friend.
* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' the inseparable lesbian couple Chantal and Zelda both die from AIDS. Chantal contracted it from an infected kidney transplant, Zelda is implied to have deliberately infected herself [[TogetherInDeath so she wouldn't have to be alone]].

* ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}''[='=]s Andy Lippincott first appeared in 1976 as a law school classmate of Joanie Caucus, who pursued him romantically until he confessed that he was gay. Flash forward fifteen years to 1989 where Joanie meets him again after a long absence from the comic. Andy was diagnosed with AIDS and made sporadic appearances over the following year before dying while listening to "Wouldn't It Be Nice" on the then-new CD release of Music/TheBeachBoys' ''Music/PetSounds''. The NAMES Project honoured Andy with a panel on the AIDS quilt (although it was never actually sewn into the quilt and currently hangs in the organisation's Atlanta office).

* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. Cartman contracts HIV after receiving a blood transfusion during routine tonsil surgery ([[ArtisticLicenseMedicine even though donated blood has been screened for HIV since the early '90s]] but it could speak to the incompetence of South Park doctors for having that happen), but he has a hard time finding anybody who cares since AIDS is viewed as a "forgotten" illness compared to cancer. He and Kyle (who Cartman also infected out of spite) seek out Magic Johnson and find out the reason he has been healthy all these years is that he sleeps with all his money, and scientists discover that the cure for AIDS is cash injected into the bloodstream... which means precisely jack to the people of Africa. The world is apathetic to this development because it wasn't the cure for cancer.

* In ''Film/ForrestGump'', Jenny dies of a newly-discovered illness that made her "real tired all the time." It's never stated what the illness is, but given the time period (sometime in TheEighties by the end of the movie), and the wild bohemian lifestyle she led in [[TheSixties the '60s]] and [[TheSeventies '70s]] to cope with her painful childhood, it likely was AIDS.

* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', the "Mother's Rosario" arc is about Yuuki Konno, a girl who was born with AIDS due to an infected blood transfusion given to her mother before she was born. Her whole family contracted HIV and had passed away, leaving her as the only one left alive (which included losing her [[AngstySurvivingTwin twin sister]]). She goes on to form a guild called the Sleeping Knights with several other kids who are also terminally ill, where they go on to play lots of [=VRMMOs=] together with their numbers dwindling as they succumb to their illnesses. When Yuuki debuts in the story, she and her friends decide to join the most fantastical game they can find ([=ALFheim=] Online) and permanently leave their mark. While there Yuuki made gained fame as the WorldsBestWarrior and recruited Asuna to help them defeat a Boss for a high score. Upon succeeding, Asuna finally manages to discover the truth behind Yuuki and finds her in the clean room of a hospital using a medicuboid VR device 24/7. No longer able to keep it a secret, Yuuki confesses her last wish is to attend a normal school, which Asuna arranges via a portable probe that allows her to see the real world without having to leave the hospital. From then on Asuna dedicates herself to making sure Yuuki can GoOutWithASmile. Eventually, Asuna is informed that Yuuki's condition has deteriorated and logs into ALO one last time. Yuuki passes on her Original-Sword-Skill as a parting gift before collapsing into Asuna's arms, as thousands of players come to visit her and honor her last moments.

Most storylines featuring AIDS show a long, painful, death. The drama comes from the way that family and friends react to the character's diagnosis: is there an internal battle and then resolve to stay and help in hospice, or do they get sick at the idea of either watching their loved one die or watching ''[[{{Squick}} how]]'' they die[[note]]This often involves Kaposi's sarcoma lesions, dementia, and extreme weight loss; dying of AIDS is not pretty[[/note]], and run away? Expect a lot of {{angst}}. A lot of characters who end up with this line of treatment are gay and usually men, but that's not always the case. Still, it was a common way to BuryYourGays.

* One of the most shocking and innovative campaigns of TheNineties was by Benetton, who used a colorized picture of [[http://time.com/3503000/behind-the-picture-the-photo-that-changed-the-face-of-aids/ a man dying of AIDS on his deathbed, with his family]]. The story behind the picture is that of David Kirby, a famous gay activist in TheEighties who was diagnosed with AIDS during its height at the end of the decade, dying in 1990. The picture was taken moments before David died, though it wasn't until 1992 that the photo became viral, for the Benetton campaign.

* ''Film/DallasBuyersClub'': Only after [[spoiler: Rayon's death]] does Ron truly have a change of heart, and he begins to show compassion towards gay, lesbian, and transgender members of the club.

* In ''Film/{{Philadelphia}}'', Andrew Beckett develops AIDS symptoms around the beginning of the film and dies of it by the end. However, his lover Miguel lives and, it is specifically noted, has not been infected with AIDS. In addition, Beckett [[spoiler: won his case against his former law partners for firing him on the basis of his suspected illness and sexuality]].

** Jon's friend and fellow waiter Freddy is a [[spoiler: subversion -- his health declines and he is hospitalized, seemingly on death's door, but ends up making a rebound and gets discharged before the end.]]

* ''Literature/TheLineOfBeauty'' is set as the AIDS crisis emerges, and the disease figures heavily into the characters' arcs. Leo, a boyfriend of Nick's, dies from the disease before the third act, and Wani, who is gay and closeted, [[spoiler: ends the novel wasting away because of it and will likely die soon. Nick muses that his own HIV test will likely come up positive as well]].

* ''Literature/TellTheWolvesImHome'': June's beloved uncle Finn dies because of AIDS as the novel starts, and much of the book is centered around his lover Toby, who is similarly suffering from the disease. [[spoiler: Toby deteriorates rapidly near the end of the novel and dies, much to June's heartbreak.]]

* In the finale of ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy'', teenager [[spoiler: Justin]] dies of AIDS just as his life was [[YankTheDogsChain starting to look up]]; he'd unknowingly contracted HIV a few years earlier while [[spoiler: working as a prostitute to support himself and his heroin addiction]]. The plotline was actually [[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/13-reasons-why-criticised-for-irresponsible-aids-storyline/amp/ criticized]] for coming off as inaccurate and outdated ([[spoiler: Justin]]'s condition was unlikely to have progressed to AIDS and death in the given timeframe, and by 2020 there's enough research around HIV that it can be treated).

** In season 1, Capheus is a poor Nairobi native who starts working for a crime boss to provide for the treatment and medication of his mother, who is living with AIDS. [[spoiler: Eventually subverted. Said crime boss is ''also'' HIV-positive, they fall in love, and she ends the show provided for.]]

* ''Series/WhyWomenKill'': Karl contracts AIDS in 1984 when there was a huge stigma toward sufferers (especially gay men like him) and a death sentence for most due to limited treatments. We see him visit a man, who he knows, too, dying from AIDS. [[spoiler: He decides to kill himself rather than suffer until the end. Later, Simone euthanizes him at his request.]]
* ''Series/StElsewhere'': In the episode "AIDS and Comfort," initially broadcast on December 21, 1983, hospital staff and patients react with varying degrees of fear after a heterosexual Boston politician afflicted with AIDS is admitted. "AIDS and Comfort" is likely the first example of a fictional U.S. television series presenting a story about AIDS. In the episode "Family Feud," initially broadcast on January 29, 1986, Dr. Bobby Caldwell (played by Creator/MarkHarmon) discovers that he is HIV-positive after having his face slashed by a female sex partner. [[spoiler: In a later episode, Caldwell dies of AIDS.]]

* In ''Theatre/{{Falsettos}}'', Whizzer spends most of Act Two hospitalized because of this, though the disease is never officially called as such due to the 1981 setting, [[spoiler: and he dies just before the show finishes]]. There is also some ambiguity as to whether a similar fate awaits [[spoiler: Whizzer's lover, Marvin]], as Dr. Charlotte tells him the disease "spreads from one man to another". [[note]] The two-act musical was originally two separate one-act musicals, one written in 1981 and and the other in 1990, later combined into one show. The contrast between the Act One and Act Two storylines thus reflects the tragic impact of AIDS on the gay community in real-time.[[/note]]

* In the VideoGame/CriminalCaseTheConspiracy case "[[Recap/CriminalCaseTheConspiracyCase07Flatline Flatline]]", family doctor Greg Gibbs is found dead amongst the wreckage of an earthquake with his throat cut open. One of the suspects is a plumber, Richard Harding. He winds up further on the suspect list when you find out he is HIV positive. When questioned, he reveals that he actually wanted to switch doctors, as while Gibbs promised to keep Richard's illness a secret, he ended up sending a brochure on supporting an HIV-positive person to Harding's wife. The wife assumed Richard was hiding the disease from her (he was actually trying to find the right way to tell her), and thus divorced him. [[spoiler: You ultimately find out that Richard is the killer. When being arrested, he explains that while he was working in the walls of Greg's office after the divorce, he overheard Dr. Gibbs dictate that he actually was the one who gave Richard the HIV in the first place, as he used a dirty needle when doing a blood test on him. When Richard rightfully confronted the doctor, Gibbs tried to buy him off and said he had no proof, but Richard was ''not'' having it. When the earthquake struck, Richard saw his chance for revenge, killing Greg and leaving his body amongst the rubble.]]

* In the Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom story ''Literature/ForAllTime'', HIV/AIDS is known as SPID or Sindrom priobretennovo immunodeficita (syndrome of acquired immunodeficiency) due to the Soviets discovering it before the United States. Sadly, due to a combination of constant warfare ([[{{Dystopia}} it's that kind of story]]) and the inefficiencies of the Soviet blood donation system, by 2002 ''35%'' of the Eurasian continent has contracted it. [[spoiler: It's revealed that Patient Zero for the Eurasian pandemic was a Soviet soldier who contracted it from a blood transfusion he received in the Congo, and he unwittingly spread it by donating his blood once every three weeks.]]

** Season 13 contestant Tamisha Iman's late protégé Tandi Iman Dupree was best-known for her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrW0kySM6CE showstopping performance]] at the 2001 Miss Gay Black America [[BeautyContest pageant]], before dying of AIDS in 2005, four years before the premier of ''Drag Race''. When Tamisha competed on the the show, Ru brings up Tandi and her legendary performance; Tamisha and Ru agree that Tandi would have certainly [[WhatCouldHaveBeen made it on as a contestant if she had survived]].

** In season 1, Capheus is a poor Nairobi native who starts working for a crime boss to provide for the treatment and medication of his mother, who is living with AIDS. [[spoiler:Eventually subverted. Said crime boss is ''also'' HIV-positive, they fall in love, and she ends the show provided for.]]
** {{Discussed|Trope}} after actor Lito is outed as gay to the public, Daniela comments that most of the roles he is offered are of gay men who die of AIDS.

* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'': A two episode arc features an orphaned child with terminal AIDS (played by a young Creator/HaleyJoelOsment) who Walker takes under his wing. In a variation, the child is unaware of his condition for most of the story; Walker has been tasked with informing the child of his condition, and most of the drama derives from his angst over the best way to do it. He eventually ([[MemeticMutation and infamously]]) succeeds, as seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2_SvX4PEbU this clip]].

* ''Series/WhyWomenKill'': Karl contracts AIDS in 1984 when there was huge stigma toward sufferers (especially gay men like him) and a death sentence for most due to limited treatments. We see him visit a man dying from AIDS who he knows, too. [[spoiler: He decides to kill himself rather than suffer until the end. Later, Simone euthanizes him at his request.]]
* ''Series/StElsewhere'': In the episode "AIDS and Comfort," initially broadcast on December 21, 1983, hospital staff and patients react with varying degrees of fear after a heterosexual Boston politician afflicted with AIDS is admitted. "AIDS and Comfort" is likely the first example of a fictional U.S. television series presenting a story about AIDS. In the episode "Family Feud," initially broadcast on January 29, 1986, Dr. Bobby Caldwell (played by Creator/MarkHarmon) discovers that he is HIV positive after having his face slashed by a female sex partner. [[spoiler: In a later episode Caldwell dies of AIDS.]]

* In ''Theatre/{{Falsettos}}'', Whizzer spends most of Act Two hospitalized because of this, though the disease is never officially called as such due to the 1981 setting, [[spoiler: and he dies just before the show finishes]]. There is also some ambiguity as to whether a similar fate awaits [[spoiler: Whizzer's lover, Marvin]], as Dr. Charlotte tells him the disease "spreads from one man to another". [[note]] The two-act musical was originally two separate one-act musicals, one written in 1981 and and the other in 1990, later combined into one show. The contrast between the Act One and Act Two storylines thus reflects the tragic impact of AIDS on the gay community in real time.[[/note]]

** Tom Collins has been infected for an undisclosed amount of time but uses his time left as an anarchist activist, which gets him fired from his teaching position at MIT. He returns to New York to work at NYU and is promptly beaten up for his coat, when he meets...

* In the VideoGame/CriminalCaseTheConspiracy case "[[Recap/CriminalCaseTheConspiracyCase07Flatline Flatline]]", family doctor Greg Gibbs is found dead amongst the wreckage of an earthquake with his throat cut open. One of the suspects is a plumber, Richard Harding. He winds up further on the suspect list when you find out he is HIV positive. When questioned, he reveals that he actually wanted to switch doctors, as while Gibbs promised to keep Richard's illness a secret, he ending up sending a brochure on supporting an HIV positive person to Harding's wife. The wife assumed Richard was hiding the disease from her (he was actually trying to find the right way to tell her), and thus divorced him. [[spoiler:You ultimately find out that Richard is the killer. When being arrested, he explains that while he was working in the walls of Greg's office after the divorce, he overheard Dr. Gibbs dictate that he actually was the one who gave Richard the HIV in the first place, as he used a dirty needle when doing a blood test on him. When Richard rightfully confronted the doctor, Gibbs tried to buy him off and said he had no proof, but Richard was ''not'' having it. When the earthquake struck, Richard saw his chance for revenge, killing Greg and leaving his body amongst the rubble.]]

* In the Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom story ''Literature/ForAllTime'', HIV/AIDS is known as SPID or Sindrom priobretennovo immunodeficita (syndrome of acquired immunodeficiency) due to the Soviets discovering it before the United States. Sadly, due to a combination of constant warfare ([[{{Dystopia}} it's that kind of story]]) and the inefficiencies of the Soviet blood donation system, by 2002 ''35%'' of the Eurasian continent has contracted it. [[spoiler: It's revealed that Patient Zero for the Eurasian pandemic was a Soviet soldier who contracted it from a blood transfusion he received in the Congo, and unwittingly spread it by donating his blood once every three weeks.]]

* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. Cartman contracts HIV after receiving a blood transfusion during routine tonsil surgery ([[ArtisticLicenseMedicine even though donated blood has been screened for HIV since the early '90s]] but it could speak to the incompetence of South Park doctors for having that happen), but he has a hard time finding anybody who cares since AIDS is viewed as a "forgotten" illness compared to cancer. He and Kyle (who Cartman also infected out of spite) seek out Magic Johnson and find out the reason he has been healthy all these years is because he sleeps with all his money, and scientists discover that the cure for AIDS is cash injected into the bloodstream... which means precisely jack to the people of Africa. The world is apathetic to this development because it wasn't the cure for cancer.

->''Will I lose my dignity?\\
Will someone care?\\
Will I wake tomorrow,\\
from this nightmare?''
-->-- "Will I?", ''Theatre/{{Rent}}''

* {{Discussed|Trope}} in ''Series/Sense8'' -- after actor Lito is outed as gay to the public, Daniela comments that most of the roles he is offered are of gay men who die of AIDS.

* {{Discussed|Trope}} in ''Series/Sense8'' -- after actor Lito is outed as gay to the public, most of the roles he is offered are of gay men who die of AIDS.

** As in [[Theatre/TickTickBoom the original play]], Michael being HIV positive is a downplayed example of this trope, since while the diagnosis is seen as serious and makes Michael reconsider his views on things, he ends the film just after his diagnosis, still alive.[[note]] Michael's inspiration is still alive as of 2023, but since Michael is a fictionalization of the real person, his fate is left on an ambiguous note.[[/note]]

* ''Theatre/TickTickBoom'': An earlier work of Larson's from 1990 downplayed this with Michael, who reveals late in the play that he is HIV positive after Jon accuses him of not understanding his fears of not making a difference. Michael, who was all about his high-paying job early in the play, has a change of heart after his diagnosis and encourages Jon to pursue his art. The play ends with Michael still alive but with an uncertain future.[[note]] The real Michael, Larson's friend Matt O'Grady, actually ended up outliving Larson and is still alive as of 2023. [[/note]]