Liberace's Lover Scott Thorson Dies at 65

Liberace's former lover Scott Thorson has died.

Thorson died in Los Angeles on August 16 at the age of 65, according to Variety.

The cause of his death is not yet known, but he is believed to have been a patient at a Los Angeles health facility and suffered from cancer and heart disease.

Thorson wrote “Behind The Candelabra: My Life With Liberace” in 1988, her acclaimed memoir revealing intimate details of her six-year romance with the late television idol, who died in 1987 of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses.

The book was later adapted into the Emmy-winning HBO film of the same name, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Thorson.

Among the many scandalous allegations in “Behind The Candelabra,” Thorson alleged that Liberace paid for him to undergo plastic surgery to make him look like a younger version of the singer, including a nose job and a chin implant.

Thorson had previously revealed details of his relationship with Liberace in 1982, when he filed a lawsuit against the Las Vegas legend for $113 in child support. In depositions resulting from the lawsuit, Liberace denied being gay and insisted that Thorson had never been his lover.

Thorson and Liberace reached a settlement in 1986, with the artist's former lover receiving $75,000 in cash, three cars and three pet dogs, valued at $20,000.

Thorson played Liberace's driver in the artist's Las Vegas show during their tumultuous six-year relationship.

The couple separated when Thorson began using drugs more heavily. He blamed Liberace for his addiction, claiming that he began abusing substances only after he was prescribed Quaaludes, amphetamine, cocaine, and Demerol while recovering from plastic surgery that Liberace had ordered him to undergo.

Thorson had an equally salacious second act in his life after becoming a key figure in the trial for the 1981 murders, commonly known as the Wonderland massacre.

Thorson testified against Eddie Nash, a nightclub owner and drug dealer, in the murders of four people on Wonderland Avenue in Los Angeles' historic Laurel Canyon neighborhood. Nash allegedly believed the four were responsible for the burglary of his home and the death of a bodyguard.

Despite Thorson's testimony accusing Nash of orchestrating the murders, Nash was released after a trial that ended in a disagreement between the jury and the parties. Nash died in 2014.

Thorson said he was granted federal witness protection after the trial and changed his name to Jess Marlow.

Thorson struggled with addiction for the rest of his life. In 2008, he was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to drug and burglary offenses.

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.