Opera. He also appeared as a cast member of the HBO variety series Encyclopedia. On August 12, 1990, he committed suicide by slashing his wrists in his Staten Island home. Only after his suicide did it become widely known that he was diagnosed with AIDS two years prior and had become unable to tolerate the side effects of the medication and the debilitating effects of the disease. In 2005, P.S. 122 awarded the first Ethyl Eichelberger Award to Taylor Mac. References External links American drag queens American male dramatists and playwrights 1945 births 1990 suicides Gay artists American LGBT artists LGBT people from Illinois Writers from Illinois AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Knox College (Illinois) alumni People from Pekin, Illinois Suicides in New York City Suicides by sharp instrument in the United States 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 1990 deaths 20th-century LGBT people