Scott Thorson, Liberace's former lover and a key witness in the 1981 murder trial known as the Wonderland Massacre, died on August 16 in Los Angeles. He was 65 and had been a patient at a Los Angeles nursing home. Thorson had been suffering from cancer and heart disease.

Thorson, who later legally changed his name to Jess Marlow, filed a $113 million alimony lawsuit against Liberace in 1982, which attracted widespread media attention. After the lawsuit was filed, Liberace continued to deny that he was homosexual, stating in court statements that Thorson had never been his lover. The case was settled in 1986, with Thorson receiving $75,000 in cash, as well as three cars and three dogs, valued at $20,000. Liberace died in 1987 from HIV/AIDS-related illnesses.

In 1988, Thorson published “Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace,” a memoir about his time with Liberace. It included allegations that the entertainer paid for Thorson’s plastic surgery, including a nose job and a chin implant, which made him look like a younger version of Liberace. During their six-year relationship, Thorson was part of Liberace’s Las Vegas act, acting as his chauffeur — a job that saw him chauffeur the entertainer onstage while he wore a rhinestone-studded uniform. Their relationship ended after Thorson’s drug use spiraled. He credited Liberace with contributing to his addiction, claiming that he began abusing the drugs after being prescribed quaaludes, amphetamines, cocaine and Demerol while recovering from plastic surgery he had undergone at the entertainer’s request.

“Behind the Candelabra” was later adapted into an Emmy-winning HBO film of the same name. Steven Soderbergh directed the film, starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Thorson.