Makeup Legend Way Bandy Fought AIDS Stigma in His Death

When makeup artist Way Bandy died in 1986, he did something almost no one else would do at the height of the AIDS crisis: he made sure the world knew exactly what killed him.

Bandy had transformed how Hollywood and fashion thought about beauty. Starting as an English teacher from Alabama who called his early career "Dullsville," he became one of the world's first celebrity makeup artists. He worked with Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross, and Barbra Streisand, creating the simple, glamorous look that defined the disco era.

His philosophy was revolutionary for the time. "When a woman has on blue eyeshadow, you look at her and you say, 'Mm, blue eyeshadow,'" he explained during a 1978 interview. "You don't say, 'Mm, beautiful eyes.'" He wanted to enhance natural beauty, not cover it up.

By the 1980s, Bandy was at the top of his field, working with Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and major brands. Photographer Francesco Scavullo called him "one of the great makeup artists of our time."

But as AIDS swept through communities in the early 1980s, most obituaries hid the truth. Families listed causes of death as pneumonia or cancer, even though everyone knew what was really happening. The silence fed the shame and fear surrounding the disease.

Bandy saw this unfold around him. When he knew his time was coming, he made a specific request in his will: his obituary must state that AIDS killed him.

His hairstylist Maury Hopson, who executed the will, honored that wish. The Los Angeles Times wrote plainly that Bandy "is dead from complications of AIDS." The New York Times detailed the medical specifics of his death, noting the pneumonia and HIV that caused it.

Why This Inspires

Bandy's decision was so unusual in 1986 that the Washington Post wrote a separate story about it. At a time when choosing to name AIDS as a cause of death was almost unheard of, Bandy made it public.

"We knew what Way's wishes were about disclosing the nature of your illness if it helps save lives," Hopson told the Post. "He died in a very courageous way and with great dignity. There should be no reason for anyone dying in shame because their body fell apart on them."

Fashion scholar Mark Joseph O'Connell notes how rare this was. "I had friends who passed, and their families chose to describe it as cancer or something else, even though everybody knew what was going on," he says. "To actually flat out say it, people just didn't do it. So it was a pretty radical act."

Bandy spent his career helping people see beauty more clearly. In his final act, he helped the world see the AIDS crisis more honestly too.