Charlie Sheen who is best known for his captivating performance in Hot Shots! and Hot Shots Part Deux! kept his word by making an appearance on the NBC’s Today on Tuesday – to announce that he is indeed HIV positive.
Sheen who hails from an illustrious acting dynasty that includes older brother Emilio Estevez and father Martin Sheen has spent a huge portion of his life dancing to the beat of salaciousness and sordid fare to the amusement and gratification of sleazy tabloids that can’t ever get enough of Hollywood’s resident bad boy.
His chaotic temperament and vivacious sexual appetite has been legendary but it looks like all the craziness has manifested into a life-altering event that has most wondering if maybe this is life’s way of wrangling the former star of Two and a Half Men into some form of decency.
Maybe, or maybe not. While discussing his prognosis with Matt Lauer, the 50-year-old admitted that being told he had HIV was a “hard three letters to absorb…it’s a turning point in one’s life”.
He also holds the sobering news responsible for his descent into oblivion, which led to his abrupt release from his hit show on CBS and his unyielding addiction to drugs, sex and alcohol. “I was so depressed by the position I was in”. “I was doing a lot of drugs, I was drinking way too much and I was making really bad decisions”.
Reports confirm that ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller, along with their kids have been cleared of the virus.
However there are a plethora of women that claim to have slept with Sheen after he was aware of his status which was confirmed back in 2011 and swear they had no knowledge of the risk they were taking because of the fact that he chose not to disclose his condition.
Sheen is currently immersed in a legal battle as he tries to settle the cases against him, which was heightened by a few “friends” who decided to expose his threatening condition after swearing secrecy.
He may not have many friends left but he is getting support from an ally who completely understands what it’s like to be dangerously vulnerable with the glare of the world heating you up.
NBA star Magic Johnson who found fame and fortune playing for the LA Lakers announced he was HIV positive back in November 1991. Soon after, Johnson retired and ended up continuing his career playing in the All-Star game and then it was on the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Johnson used his misfortune as a way to educate and elevate by establishing the Magic Johnson Foundation – a vehicle formulated to support initiatives geared towards the eradication of the disease. The foundation also helps to educate people in order to discourage discrimination against people who harbor HIV or AIDS.
Johnson is hoping Charlie Sheen will step up to the plate and join him in his efforts to spread the word about the specifics and fact in order to reduce the stigma stemming from discrimination based on ignorance.
Johnson tweeted his support and hopes after he was privy to Sheen’s admission, “I wish @CharlieSheen and his family the best. With the advancement in treatments and medicine he can fight this disease and live a long life”. “In @Charliesheen breaking his silence, I hope he joins me in educating the world about HIV/AIDS”.
Whether or not Sheen will join Johnson as a crusader remains to be seen but given the fact that he is convinced that since his system shows very little evidence of the virus he can carry on as if nothing has changed – we won’t hold our breath. And neither should Johnson.