Jaak Hamilton, 56; Noted Therapist for AIDS Victims

Jaak Hamilton, a Los Angeles-based nationally known therapist who specialized in treating AIDS patients and their families, has died of the disease to which he devoted the later years of his life.

Hamilton was 56 when he died of the complications of acquired immune deficiency syndrome on Sunday.

He was a member of the board of AIDS Project Los Angeles, heading the client services committee, and in 1984 he participated in APLA’s first annual Commitment to Life event honoring Elizabeth Taylor for her efforts in fighting the fatal illness.

Hamilton became a well-known voice both locally and across the nation for work with AIDS patients and he was frequently quoted as an expert in the field.

Hamilton, who held degrees from Upsala College in New Jersey and Antioch College/West in Los Angeles, founded the Case Center for Human Behavior in 1968. He left the center in 1982 to establish a private practice.