Terry Higgins

Terrence Lionel Seymour Higgins was among the first people known to die of an AIDS-related illness in the United Kingdom.

Life

Born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, Higgins left Haverfordwest as a teenager due to feeling alienated because of his sexuality. He lived in London and worked as a Hansard reporter in the House of Commons during the day and as a nightclub barman and disc jockey in the evenings. He travelled to New York and Amsterdam as a DJ in the 1970s. Higgins collapsed at the nightclub Heaven while at work and was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital, London where he died of Pneumocystis pneumonia and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy on 4 July 1982.

Legacy

Martyn Butler, Rupert Whitaker and Tony Calvert initiated the formation of the Terry Higgins Trust. in 1982 with a group of concerned community-members and Terry's friends, including Len Robinson and Chris Peel; it is dedicated to preventing the spread of HIV, promoting awareness of AIDS, and providing supportive services to people with the disease.