{"id":15942,"date":"2025-03-31T15:23:35","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T15:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=15942"},"modified":"2025-03-31T15:23:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T15:23:35","slug":"last-photos-of-richard-chamberlain-before-he-died","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=15942","title":{"rendered":"Last photos of Richard Chamberlain before he died"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Chamberlain, the beloved \u2018Dr. Kildare,\u2019 is gone. The actor, who captivated audiences for decades, passed away at the age of 90 on March 30.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, new revelations about his final days are coming to light \u2014 and they\u2019re more emotional than anyone could have imagined.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despised himself as a child<\/h2>\n

People all around the world, both young and old, fell in love with Richard Chamberlain when he rose as a popular actor in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

In my mind, he was the single biggest heartthrob on television at the time, and had roles in numerous popular shows and movies. He portrayed several eminent characters but, at the same time, led a tough life. He\u00a0loved the fame<\/a>, but it was also something he couldn\u2019t escape from.<\/p>\n

Chamberlain\u2019s life was also marked by self-loathing \u2014 he despised himself as a child and carried the burden of hiding a major secret for many, many years.<\/p>\n

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Silver Screen Collection\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout his glorious career,\u00a0Richard<\/a>\u00a0set young hearts on fire as Dr. Kildare and as Father Ralph in\u00a0The Thorn Birds<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As the king of the TV mini-series, his job was to be a \u201chetero heartthrob,\u201d but in reality, his friends and nearly everyone in the industry knew he was gay. In 2003, he released his memoir\u00a0Shattered Love<\/em>, in which he came out as a gay man at age 69.<\/p>\n

\u201dWhen you grow up in the \u201930s, \u201940s and \u201950s being gay, it not only ain\u2019t easy, it\u2019s just impossible,\u201d Chamberlain told the\u00a0New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot do it, that being gay was the worst thing you can possibly be. I assumed there was something terribly wrong with me. And even becoming famous and all that, it was still there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard Chamberlain had years of therapy, going through various spiritual-raising experiences as well, to help him find his identity. No matter what, he was brave and showed great courage in coming out, especially at the age of almost 70 years old.<\/p>\n

Made a decision before his death<\/h2>\n

Chamberlain never regretted hiding his sexuality to protect his career.<\/p>\n

\u201dI would have been a happier person being out of the closet and being free,\u201d he admitted in one of his final interviews with\u00a0El Pais<\/em>\u00a0in 2024. \u201dBut I had other motives that made me happy. I was a working actor and for me, that was most important.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Hollywood\u2019s relative tolerance allowed Chamberlain\u00a0to date<\/a>\u00a0men openly. In the 1970s, he was romantically involved with actor Wesley Eure.<\/p>\n

In 1977, Chamberlain began a long-term relationship with actor and producer Martin Rabbett, who, like Eure, was 20 years his junior. Rabbett played the brother of Chamberlain\u2019s lead character in the 1986 film\u00a0Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold<\/em>. The couple moved in together in Hawaii in 1986, where they held a private commitment ceremony. They remained together until 2010, when they separated amicably, with Chamberlain relocating to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

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Richard Chamberlain, Neil Patrick Harris and Martin Rabbett pose backstage at \u201cHedwig and The Angry Inch\u201d on Broadway at The Belasco Theater on May 27, 2014 in New York City. (Bruce Glikas\/FilmMagic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a 2014 interview, Chamberlain shared that while he and Rabbett were no longer romantically involved, they remained close friends. \u201cWe don\u2019t live together anymore, and we\u2019re much better friends than we\u2019ve ever been,\u201d Chamberlain explained. \u201cSo I\u2019m in the business of advising people who are married, etc., to get another house.\u201d<\/p>\n

But according to his New York Times obituary, Chamberlain and Rabbett had resumed living together in Hawaii before his death. Rabbett was considered to be his \u201donly immediate survivor.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, Rabbett, said: \u201cOur beloved Richard is with the angels now.\u00a0He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cLove never dies. And our love is under his wings lifting him to his next great adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last photo of Richard Chamberlain<\/h2>\n

Richard Chamberlain passed away in Waim\u0101nalo, Hawaii, due to complications following a stroke. He was just days away from celebrating his 91st birthday on March 31.<\/p>\n

In the final years of his life, Richard Chamberlain chose to keep a relatively low profile. His last on-screen appearance came in the 2018 horror film\u00a0Nightmare Cinema<\/em>, where he portrayed the character Dr. Mirari.<\/p>\n

Richard Chamberlain\u2019s last Instagram post was an interview he recorded in early December. Before that, he hadn\u2019t posted anything since 2022, when he shared a striking photo of himself from a shoot for a luxury magazine.<\/p>\n

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