Dan Hartman cause of death?

[Stacia]

Hey all. I've been wondering about the cause of death for Dan
Hartman. I remember hearing a DJ back in '94 saying Hartman died of
AIDS, and then later engaging in a lengthy thread on Usenet where it was
determined it was actually cancer and the AIDS rumor was started by DJs
in much the same way urban legends are. In '99, there was a thread on
alt.obits that said it was a brain tumor brought on by the AIDS virus.
So I was just curious as to how to get the official cause of death to
allay my curiosity. There's not much about Dan Hartman online, he
wasn't quite famous enough.
Any thoughts?

Stacia

[TedM]

The New York Times Obituary claims a "brain tumor"

April 7, 1994
Dan Hartman Dies; Songwriter Was 43
Dan Hartman, a record producer, singer and songwriter, died on March 22
at his home in Westport, Conn. He was 43.

The cause was a brain tumor, said his manager, Julian Able.

Mr. Hartman wrote and sang many hit songs, including "Free Ride" and
"Relight My Fire." He also wrote many songs for movies, among them
"Living in America" from "Rocky IV," which became James Brown's
biggest-selling record in 15 years and earned a Grammy nomination for
Mr. Hartman. Other films in which his music was used include "Streets
of Fire," "Ruthless People" and "Bull Durham."

Mr. Hartman produced Joe Cocker's "Unchain My Heart" and "One Night of
Sin" and Tina Turner's "Foreign Affair," which sold more than six
million albums worldwide. In 1989 he produced and recorded a solo album
of his own music for Private Music, and last year worked on a solo
album for Chaos, a division of Columbia Records.

He is survived by his parents, Carl and Pauline Hartman; a sister,
Kathy, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., and a brother, David, of Wellsville, Pa.

However, Wikipedia and Discogs both claim he was diagnosed as being HIV
positive before his death.

My suspicion is that the managers and family probably wanted to protect
his legacy by saying "brain tumor" and leaving it at that. There's
still a stigma attached to HIV and AIDS, particularly in the
entertainment industry.

T

Post by Stacia
Hey all. I've been wondering about the cause of death for Dan
Hartman. I remember hearing a DJ back in '94 saying Hartman died of
AIDS, and then later engaging in a lengthy thread on Usenet where it was
determined it was actually cancer and the AIDS rumor was started by DJs
in much the same way urban legends are. In '99, there was a thread on
alt.obits that said it was a brain tumor brought on by the AIDS virus.
So I was just curious as to how to get the official cause of death to
allay my curiosity. There's not much about Dan Hartman online, he
wasn't quite famous enough.
Any thoughts?
Stacia

[Charlene]

Post by TedM
My suspicion is that the managers and family probably wanted to protect
his legacy by saying "brain tumor" and leaving it at that. There's
still a stigma attached to HIV and AIDS, particularly in the
entertainment industry.

It may have been, as you imply, that his immediate cause of death was a
complication of the brain tumour, but that he also had HIV. Certain
forms of cancer are far more common in those with HIV, and often kill
those with HIV faster than they do people without the virus.

wd42

[j***@gmail.com]

Some rumors said that Steve Rubell gave Dan Hartman AIDS Back in late 1988. He wasn't diagnosed with the disease until 1990.

[t***@gmail.com]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[j***@gmail.com]

I read the death certificate for Mr. Dan Hartman. Cause of death: AIDS Related Brain Tumor.

[That Derek]

Re: Dan Hartman.

I don't know how he died.

Why don't we go to the "Instant Replay."