The Region - News from May 13, 1987

The estate of entertainer Liberace filed a claim against Riverside County, whose coroner linked the entertainer’s death to AIDS. The claim, which must be filed in advance of any lawsuit in the case, accused Coroner Raymond Carrillo of ordering an unnecessary autopsy and violating state law. Carrillo outraged Liberace fans and personal staff by rejecting the death certificate filed by Dr. Ronald Daniels, the pianist’s personal physician, ordering the body retrieved from a Hollywood Hills mortuary and conducting an autopsy. He later held a news conference to announce that Liberace died of complications from acquired immune deficiency syndrome.