2nd of Brothers Stricken by AIDS Dies at Age 30

Kevin Meuse, whose family’s plight became the subject of a Times article when he became the second among seven brothers to be stricken by the AIDS virus, died Monday of complications from the disease. He was 30.

Meuse was admitted to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach on Sept. 13. After spending several weeks at nearby Flagship Healthcare Center, he was transferred four weeks ago to Community Hospice of Riverside so he could be closer to his parents’ Moreno Valley home.

On Wednesday, family members remembered Meuse as a trusting and fun-loving person who in his final weeks had hoped that his experience with AIDS would persuade others not to use drugs. Meuse, who was gay, had said he believed he acquired the AIDS virus while sharing a needle during a period of drug use in his late teens.

“He was very, very spiritual and he laughed real easily,” said his mother, Noreen Maiorano, who with her husband, Ray, had kept a vigil at her son’s bedside until he died at 10:20 a.m. Monday. “His gift to the world was that he loved his family and friends. He loved them unconditionally.”

“He was just a kid who loved music, loved dancing,” stepfather Ray Maiorano said. “He was a trusting guy. . . . He cared about everybody.”

After son Liam Meuse died of AIDS in 1991 at the age of 32, the Maioranos opened Annie’s House, a Costa Mesa home for people with the disease.

Born Sept. 29, 1963, in Lakewood, Kevine Meuse was a graduate of Richard’s Beauty College in Huntington Beach. He had worked for a while as a hairdresser in San Diego. He was also proficient with computers.

In addition to his mother and stepfather, he is survived by five brothers: Joe Meuse of Cypress, Tony Meuse of Laguna Beach, Brian Meuse of Desert Hot Springs, Barry Meuse of Pasadena and Sean Maiorano of Huntington Beach, three stepsisters and two stepbrothers.

A memorial service for family and close friends will be held in Huntington Beach on Sunday.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Annie’s House, 2973 Harbor Blvd., Box 339, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.