HUDSON BIO DUE IN THE SPRING

William Morrow & Co. and Avon Books reaffirmed here Friday that they will publish the exclusive story of Rock Hudson’s life, “Rock Hudson: His Own Story,” co-written with Sara Davidson and scheduled for publication in the spring.

A statement issued by Davidson through Morrow said also that she had met with the actor “on numerous occasions” to conduct formal, tape-recorded interviews for the book. Davidson said Hudson urged his “closest friends” to “cooperate fully” with the biography effort, and added that Hudson had “stipulated that all his earnings from the book would go to the Rock Hudson AIDS Research Foundation.”

Contacted at his office here, Paul Sherman, Hudson’s New York lawyer of 10 years, concurred, saying, “We transferred every bit of Rock’s interest in this book to go to the Rock Hudson AIDS Research Foundation.”

The statements came in the midst of charges by some in Hudson’s circle of friends that the actor, who died Wednesday at 59 of complications from AIDS, had neither publicly acknowledged that he had AIDS, nor encouraged his friends to cooperate with any book on Hudson’s life. Published reports from Hudson’s friend, producer Ross Hunter, for example, have charged that Hudson was “in no condition to know” the extent of his own illness, much less to recognize friends.

But Hudson’s lawyer remembered visiting his client at his Beverly Hills home as recently as Sept. 4, the day before the reclusive Hudson signed a foreword to the book.

“I want the truth to be told,” Hudson’s foreword says in part, “because it sure as hell hasn’t been told before.”

Sherman said he greeted Hudson cheerfully. Remembering that his lawyer had just vacationed in the Orient, Hudson’s immediate response, Sherman said, was “ ‘Hi, Paul, how was Japan?’

“Here was this man, dying, almost cadaverous,” Sherman said, “and his first question was about my trip.

“I have to tell you,” Sherman continued, “this was the nicest man that I have ever had the privilege of representing.”

Davidson, in her statement, said she had been “engaged in August of 1985 to be the co-author of the book on Rock Hudson’s life.” Hudson, said Davidson, “gave me as much time as his health permitted. He made it clear that he wanted the book to be written.”

Morrow said the book would be approximately 352 pages, and would contain 32 pages of photographs.