
Actor Charlie Sheen told NBC's "Today" show on Nov. 17, 2015 that he was diagnosed as HIV-positive about four years earlier, and that a few people who knew it demanded money from him to keep the secret.

Actor Rock Hudson revealed that he had AIDS after he collapsed while seeking treatment in France. He died a few months later, on October 2, 1985.

Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury revealed his AIDS diagnosis only a day before he died in 1991.

NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson called a press conference on November 7, 1991, to announce that he would be retiring from professional basketball after learning that he was HIV-positive.

American actor Anthony Perkins died in 1992 without revealing that he had AIDS. With his permission, his widow, Berry Berenson, shared his struggle with the disease after he died.

Actor Robert Reed, who starred as father Mike Brady in "The Brady Bunch," never came out as gay or HIV-positive in his lifetime. After he died of cancer in 1992, his death certificate included HIV as a contributing factor.

Professional tennis player Arthur Ashe revealed in 1992 that he had AIDS. Ashe, who said he probably had contracted the virus from a blood transfusion, died in 1993.

When "The Real World: San Francisco" cast member Pedro Zamora shared his HIV/AIDS struggle on the MTV reality show, he educated the MTV generation about living with the disease. Zamora died in November 1994.

Olympic diver Greg Louganis revealed his HIV-positive diagnosis in a 1995 memoir, "Breaking the Surface." He says he faced some backlash but being open was the best thing for him. "My being HIV-positive doesn't define who I am," he told CNN.

Before he died in 1995, rapper Eazy-E, whose real name was Eric Wright, revealed that he was ill with AIDS. "I'm not saying this because I'm looking for a soft cushion wherever I'm heading," Wright said in a statement. "I just feel I've got thousands and thousands of young fans that have to learn about what's real when it comes to AIDS."

A former child star of the television sitcom "Who's the Boss?" actor Danny Pintauro knew he wasn't facing an automatic death sentence when he found out he was HIV positive in March 2003. Pintauro, who came out in 1997 and got married last year, shared his HIV status with Oprah Winfrey in September 2015. "It's just a big deal, you know?" he said.