At 2:05 in the afternoon of February 4, 1987, the world lost its most flamboyant and prolific performer: the great Wladziu Valentino Liberace, known professionally as simply Liberace. His career lasted more than four decades, from the Big Band Era to the decadent 1980s. He earned two separate stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (one for music and one for TV), and he had six gold albums. His performances sold out Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl—even today many of his attendance records have yet to be surpassed. He was an unparalleled TV personality, the magnetic star of The Liberace Show, which drew more than thirty million viewers at any one time, and received ten thousand fan letters per week. And he was the proud owner of his own museum, in which he showcased his dazzling possessions—his outrageous costumes, jewelry, cars, and pianos—for more than 450,000 museumgoers per year during peak years.
In 1955 The Guinness Book of World Records Listed Liberace as the world’s highest-paid musician and pianist in a single season after he earned two million dollars for a twenty-six-week stint the previous year. He made millions and he spent lavishly, happily enjoying the fine things in life—a glorious estate, ornate cars, and grand pianos. But above all else, Liberace’s legendary wardrobe—his famous sequined, bejeweled, and rhinestone-studded costumes; his feathered capes; and his fur collection—is what defined him. His wardrobe embedded him in the minds of his fans, and it is what people most associate with him. In glitter and glam regalia that only he could pull off, Liberace earned, among numerous other awards, the titles of “best-dressed man in show business” from the American Fashion Foundation, “best dressed” from People magazine, and “best-dressed entertainer” from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
Liberace and his brother, George Liberace.
Liberace’s ensembles, created by brilliant designers and tailors—Sy Devore, Frank Ortiz, Frank Acuna, Jim Lapidus, Anna Nateece, and Michael Travis—inspired megastar performers such as Elton John, Cher, Freddie Mercury, and Madonna to bring eccentricity to their stage costumes. Indeed, today’s young pop stars continue to follow his lead. One cannot help but consider Lady Gaga’s entrance to the Grammy Awards enclosed in an egg—a reminder of Liberace’s 1986 emergence from a Fabergé egg at Radio City Music Hall.
As Eric Felten wrote in the Wall Street Journal, “Though commentators have rushed to declare Ms. Gaga the new Madonna, the David Bowie of our day, or Elton John, Boy George, and Bette Midler all rolled into one, her real progenitor is the original purveyor of flamboyant rhinestone-studded excess, Liberace.”1 And as Adam Nagourney wrote in the New York Times, “Liberace was Lady Gaga before Stefani Germanotta was even born.”2
Although ridiculed by some for his over-the-top numbers, Liberace was never one to apologize for who he was or to shy away from attention. “They have me crying all the way to the bank,” he would say. It was one of his signature catchphrases.
Liberace in his red jumpsuit and black jacket costume. Liberace in his silver knickers costume. Liberace in his Hapsburg eagle costume.